


Silent Snow

by Nina_Hikari



Category: Shoji & Yuki - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:13:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22530781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nina_Hikari/pseuds/Nina_Hikari
Summary: Hi! This is a pretty dramatic and violent story. Please be aware that it contains rape (of underaged characters), prostitution, violence, and death. It will have cute and funny parts too, but be aware that it can be triggering.It's set in the same universe as my other story and will have cameos of them, so I suggest reading that one too. It's more fluffy as well heheThank you for reading!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a pretty dramatic and violent story. Please be aware that it contains rape (of underaged characters), prostitution, violence, and death. It will have cute and funny parts too, but be aware that it can be triggering.  
> It's set in the same universe as my other story and will have cameos of them, so I suggest reading that one too. It's more fluffy as well hehe  
> Thank you for reading!

This is the story of Kida Yukino and the man who saved him.  
  
Kida Yukino grew up in a warm and loving household. He lived in Osaka with his parents and his little sister Shiori. Yukino was convinced that their dad was the best father anyone could wish for and their mom was very loving and caring. She was cheerful and always smiled. Shiori was four years younger than him and a sweet little girl who rarely cried and never threw any tantrums. Their parents never fought, were highly respected members of their community, and he only had good memories of his early childhood. His father had a well-paid job, so his mom didn’t have to work and could be a full-time mother. Every day Yukino came home from school to a clean house and a delicious, warm meal. His mother greeted him lovingly, he told her about his day, she helped him with his homework, played with Shiori and his friends and in the evenings when his dad came home, they all had dinner together. Yukino couldn’t have been happier. He didn’t realize back then how lucky he was.  
  
But then, everything changed on the day Yukino turned 10. His parents had told him in the morning that his dad had taken half of the day off, and them and Shiori would pick him up after school to take him to the movies; in the afternoon, they would have his friends over to celebrate with cake. Yuki was so excited he could barely hold himself together during classes and his teachers had to scold him repeatedly. They laughed it off though since he was an excellent and diligent student and normally knew how to behave. During the last period, Yukino was so hyped, that every minute felt like an hour and the time seemed to pass slower and slower. Suddenly, the door to his class opened and the school principal entered the classroom.   
“Kaida Yukino,” he said with a firm voice and Yukino jolted.   
“Y-Yes, director?” He got up from his chair.   
“Please follow me to my office.” The man whispered short instructions to their teacher, who went pale and looked at Yukino in shock, covering her mouth after a gasp. For some reason, Yukino started shaking and adrenaline rushed through his body. He grabbed his books and jacket and followed the director. No words were spoken on the way to his office and when they entered, there were two policemen and a woman he had never seen before.   
They sat him down and the woman said in a calm but concerned tone: “Kaida-kun, I’m Kirishima Haruna, I’m working for the youth welfare office, the YWO. I’m sorry that I have to tell you this, but your parents and your little sister were in a car accident. There were no survivors.”  
Yukino was shocked to the core. Like a glass that was slammed onto the ground, he shattered. But at the same time, he felt numb, and he was unable to think and process the woman’s words.   
“You don’t have any relatives here, but we called your mother’s sister in Tokyo and they’re willing to take you in. She’s married and has two kids, so you will have a good home there. I’m sorry for your loss, Kida-kun.”  
_That’s it,_ he thought. _They’re telling me that my life as I knew it just ended and that I lost everyone I loved… just like that?_ _  
_ But he didn’t say anything. He just nodded as a wave of loneliness crushed him. They immediately took him to his home, where he was allowed to pack the most important things. So he grabbed a big backpack, the one his dad had brought home once and announced that they would take a hike in the mountains together, just the two of them. 'Father and son quality time', he had called it. He stuffed some clothes in it and looked around his room, overwhelmed, not knowing what to pack, since he didn't fully realize what was happening. His head felt so heavy, it was like he was in a trance. He laid eyes on a picture frame on his bookshelf, grabbed it and stuffed it into his bag. He also took a sheet of paper with colorful lines on it before he walked out. On his way to the entrance door, guided by a police officer, he passed his sister’s room. It was empty. There was no laughter, no light. The house felt cold, didn’t smell like his mom’s cooking even though he had just come home from school, and she didn’t hug and kiss him and ask him how his day had been and if he had any homework. He hadn't paid enough attention when they had entered the house earlier, but now he saw that the living room had been decorated with balloons and there was a banner that read "Happy Birthday Yukino" hanging on the wall behind the dining table. Sweets and gifts were neatly arranged on the table as well. Yukino's chest tightened and a wave of loneliness crashed over him. The sudden realization that they were gone forever hit him, made his knees buckle and he slumped down, breathing heavily. He didn’t cry. He thought that if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop, but it felt like he was suffocating. Drowning in the pain of his loss. 

Little did he know that this was only the beginning of his misery.   
  
After that, Yukino was immediately moved to Tokyo. There was apparently no room for him in the district’s orphanage. He didn’t even have enough time to say goodbye to his friends he grew up with. To them, he just vanished. The social workers told him that his parent’s house and belongings would be sold and the money, including all their savings and the money in their bank accounts, would be administered by his parents’ lawyer, who was instructed to pay him out at age 20. They handed him his business card and put him on a plane to Tokyo where he would have to live with his only relatives. Everything happened so fast, he couldn't keep up. He just let it all happen. He was only ten years old, so he had no say in the matter, anyway. While on the plane, he realized his mom had never talked about her family. She had mentioned that she had a sister, but she also said they never got along well. His mom seemed very sad about it. She said that she had moved from Osaka to Tokyo after their parents died and they hadn't been in contact ever since, but that was all Yukino knew about her. He probably should have felt insecure and scared, he thought. But he tried to suppress any feelings. He had to grow up now, and be strong. 

His aunt and her husband had picked him up from the airport and they seemed to be nice people. He had his own room and met his cousins. A boy, Akumu, who was 16, and a girl, Akari, who was the same age as Yukino, 10. At first, it looked like everyone got along well with each other. Yukino tried his best to be responsive at least, although he still felt numb. But two weeks after he had moved in, and the youth welfare service had checked up on him one last time, everything changed for the worse.  
Yukino helped to clear the table after dinner, just how he did back home, and asked his aunt when he could book the flight for his family’s funeral. The YWO had informed him that it would be a week later. His aunt turned to him and slapped him straight across the face so hard, he dropped his plate and it shattered.   
“Tch, look what you did, you clumsy idiot. You think I will pay for a flight just so you can cry over some corpses? Don’t make me laugh.” She glared at him hatefully. “Let me tell you something. I hated my sister. She got exactly what she deserved. She always thought she was better than me, getting pampered by our parents like crazy just because she was kind and polite and brought home good grades. ‘Look at our sweet and pretty Myoko, isn’t she an angel? Be more like your sister, Ayako!’ Ugh. I just gave my okay to let you live here because I thought they would give us money to take care of you, but she didn’t even put that in her will. She just assumed that once she was dead, you’d manage, so… manage. I couldn’t care less about you. At least, I’ll have a cheap housekeeper now. You will work for your food and the roof over your head that we provide. Go clean the dishes now. Afterwards, there’s laundry. Forget about going to their funeral.” She grinned at the sight of Yukino’s shocked expression and went into the living room to watch television with her family as if nothing had happened. Yukino was devastated. He wouldn’t be able to pay one last honor to his family. That was it. That was his life now.   
And not only his aunt treated him like trash from then on, but Yukino also became the scapegoat for his cousins, and no matter what they did, they blamed him for it. And their parents blindly believed them, because ‘their children would never lie’. If the siblings broke something, it was Yukino’s fault, even though he hadn’t even been in the same room when it broke. Bad grades? Yukino’s fault for not helping them study, or they told their parents he had distracted them from studying. If they were misbehaving, it was his fault because they ‘adopted his bad behavior’. Yukino found that very ironic, since he never misbehaved, objected in any way and rarely even talked to begin with. Sure, at first Yukino tried to defend himself, but he quickly realized that it was no use. They were all alike, there was no point in reasoning with any of them and speaking up only meant harder punishments for him. Yukino was yelled at and beaten constantly. Those spoiled brats also used him as their emotional and literal punching ball. They bullied him mentally and physically, just as much as their parents. Yukino accepted his new role and just functioned. He cleaned the house after school, did the laundry, cooked for the whole family, even though the portions he got were barely enough to satiate him. He did his best, even though they always found a reason to let their frustration out on him, and it often even hurt to breathe after a beating. But he put up with it, even though it was hard. Yukino didn’t want to give up. He had to live and keep going, he had to be strong... for _them_. He counted the days to his 20th birthday when he would finally be able to move out of that hell house. Apparently, his aunt and uncle didn’t know about his pending inheritance. That money was supposed to be his start into a free life. He wanted to go to University and get a well-paid job one day, just like his father. Just like his parents would have wanted him to. And maybe he would even be happy one day if he just endured that living nightmare for the time being.   
Four years later though, when he was 14 years old, something happened that broke the camel’s back and turned his life upside down once again.   
Yukino came home from school and wanted to change into his normal clothes to start cleaning the house before his aunt came home from work. If he wasn’t done by the time she came back, she would punish him. But when he entered his small room, Yukino found his cousin sitting on his bed.   
“Can… I help you?” Yukino asked insecurely. It was unusual for him to be home that early since he normally had sports club activities after school. His cousin didn’t answer. He just sat there and stared at Yukino in a way that made him feel very uncomfortable. Then, his cousin said in a low voice: “I saw you kissing another boy behind the school today. You thought no one would see you, huh? But I did. Are you a homo?”  
Yukino’s blood froze and he panicked. “I… No, I… We were just joking around, that’s all! He was just being silly and kissed me as a joke, I swear!”  
The truth was that the boy had confessed to Yukino before and that kiss had surprised him too. He scolded his classmate for being so stupid and doing that in broad daylight behind their school. But Yukino was gay indeed, he had known that for a while now, even though he had never been in love with anyone. But surely that wasn’t something he would want his relatives to know.  
“Liar.” That was all he said before he got up and slammed his fist into Yukino's face so hard, he thought he’d lose consciousness. He had taken so many beatings over the years, but he had never gotten punched this hard. Yukino fell backwards onto the floor and his cousin suddenly grabbed him by his hair, pulled him up violently and threw him onto the bed. That guy was taller than him and pretty buff, the complete opposite to the slender, almost malnourished Yukino. Physically speaking, he wouldn’t stand a chance against him.  
“Little slut,” he hissed. “Screwing around with boys, you little fag.”  
“Huh? No, I didn’t… Please stop.” Yukino wanted to defend himself by saying that he had never done it with anyone before, but then he thought, _what use would it be… I’ll just take a beating as usual_. But with a sudden movement, his cousin turned Yukino’s light body around and pressed his head against the mattress. “Wait, what are you-” he said with a muffled voice.  
“Shut up! If you struggle, I’ll tell everyone that you’re a homo. I’ll spread it around at school too. I’ll tell everyone what a man whore you are, and I’ll find out that other boy’s name and tell everyone about him too. So shut up and hold still, got it?”  
Yukino nodded. He was in complete shock and scared to death. He also didn’t want to ruin that other boy’s life just because he happened to have a demon as a cousin. It wasn’t that boy’s fault, it was Yukino’s fault for being nice to him and accepting his confession.   
The following pain was the worst he had ever felt. After a while, it got so bad that he passed out from it, as his cousin’s grunts echoed in his ears.   
When he came to, Yukino got up from his bed. Too much time had already passed, he needed to start cleaning. He managed to get everything done in time, despite almost throwing up several times from the pain in his rectum.  
A week later - his cousin hadn’t spoken to him once since that day - Yukino came back from taking a shower and as he entered his room, again, he was sitting there on his bed. This time he was grinning maliciously.   
“I brought lube. Last time you got torn. There was blood on my dick, it was disgusting. You should be healed by now, so lay down,” he ordered Yukino.   
“Akumu, please…” he whispered. “Why are you doing this if you hate me for being gay so much?”  
“I’ll tell you a secret… At first, I just wanted to hurt you, but doing it with a guy actually felt quite nice, so you’ll be my little sex doll from now on,” he chuckled.   
“It really hurts, please don’t-”.  
“Well, that makes it even better. To hear you whimpering underneath me. Now lay down and shut the fuck up.”  
When Yukino didn’t move, his cousin got up abruptly and grabbed his wrist, threw him onto the bed and pinned him down. “Don’t scream or I’ll kill you and throw your dead body into the trash where it belongs,” he hissed into his ear and proceeded to take Yukino with force. This time he did use the lube, which at least prevented Yukino from tearing, but the old wounds were still not fully healed, so he was in excruciating pain. He felt like he was about to break, not only physically, but also mentally. After Akumu was satisfied, he got up, wiped off the mix of cum and lube from his dick with one of Yukino’s shirts, and headed over to the door, leaving a lifeless Yukino on his bed.  
“See ya tomorrow night, my little sex toy.” He grinned and left the room.  
_So this too_ , Yukino thought. _Do_ _ _I_ have to endure this now, as well?_ He felt like crying, but he didn’t. Instead, he was pissed. He was angry at the whole world. He had lost everyone and everything, he had absolutely nothing left. No family, no friends, no home, no life. His dignity had been taken from him a long time ago when he came to that house and now he had even lost his virginity to his monster of a cousin and would be taken by him against his will whenever he felt like it. Why was no one there to protect him from those people? Why had the world, that always seemed so warm, bright and colorful turned into this dark, painful, never-ending nightmare? Yukino couldn’t take it anymore. Now that another boundary had been broken, who knew what would happen next. Would they kill him someday?   
_Enough_ , he thought. _I’m done with this. I’m done with enduring this, I can’t take it anymore_. Yukino decided to leave. Even if he died in the cold outside on the streets, that would have been better than staying there.  
He grabbed his backpack and shoved as many warm clothes inside as he could. He left behind anything that was too heavy or that he thought he wouldn’t need on the streets. Except for that picture frame and the folded paper sheet he had taken with him when he left his home. He put those in a white plastic bag and placed it in between his clothes. He then put on two pairs of jeans, two sweaters, and his thickest winter jacket and snuck out of his room. On his way to the door, he took all the cash he could find in his uncle’s wallet and his aunt’s purse. It wasn’t that much, but enough to provide him with some food for a few days. He had almost reached the entrance door, but then, he suddenly turned around to the big built-in closet behind him and slowly and silently let the big door slide open. _Jackpot_ , he thought. He had remembered how Akumu wanted to go on a camping trip with his sport club buddies, so his father bought him a tent and a sleeping bag. The best quality one could get, of course. They had stuffed it into that closet and he never ended up using it, but Yukino was lucky and it was still there. He snatched it and silently walked out. Yukino shut the door behind him and ran as if the devil was chasing him. He ran for as long as he could, scared one of them might have seen him and was following him. When his lungs started burning and his sides hurt like hell, he stopped and tried to catch his breath. It was February, so the air was freezing cold and made his lungs sting with every breath. He couldn’t feel his nose anymore and noticed that he didn’t have gloves either. Yukino also had no idea where he was. He hadn’t paid attention to where he was running, he just wanted to get as far away from that house as he could, as fast as possible. He wasn’t familiar with the streets of Tokyo at all. He was allowed to go to school, but he had to go straight back home and wasn’t allowed to go out. When they did something as a family, he always had to stay at home. He hadn’t been mad about that, because he was grateful for every minute he could spend away from them, but he was basically shut in there and coming from a small town in a rural area in Osaka prefecture, he didn’t know the dangers of a big city or how to find your way through it. He wished he could just go back there, but they would definitely find him and force him to go back to his aunt’s house, and there was no way that would ever happen, he thought. His chances not to be found, if they even searched for him, were better if he would just vanish in the shadows of the back alleys of the big city.


	2. To Survive

Yukino was a lightweight, so spending too much time outside in the cold was bad. He had only been out of the house for an hour and his body already felt numb and he was shivering, despite wearing winter clothing. Yukino didn’t know what he would do if he caught a cold, so he needed to find shelter quickly. Something at least remotely warm. He searched for a train station and drove deeper into the center of the city. Then, he stayed inside the random station he had gotten off of and hoped no one would throw him out. He most likely wouldn't get any sleep, but at least he wouldn’t freeze to death. Yukino was exhausted after everything that had happened, and even sitting down hurt. He tried to come up with a plan and decided that the most logical thing was for him to try to find a job. He sighed as he thought about it. He was fourteen, so he was legally allowed to work, but if they asked for his real name and address, he would be screwed. _Ah_ , Yukino suddenly realized something. _I guess I will have to drop out of school…_ The thought saddened him. He had always liked going to school and learning new things, and in the past four years, it was the only place where he was able to walk around without being in constant fear of physical and mental abuse. He didn’t have any friends because he was a loner by choice, but at least he didn’t get bullied or anything. He just stayed by himself and was ignored by his classmates, which was perfectly fine with him. Maybe one day he could make his parents proud and go back to school, graduate and become a proper adult. He would at least try. But for now, he would have to learn how to survive.  
For around two weeks, Yukino wandered around aimlessly by day, stopping by random stores and asking for work, and by night he sought shelter in cafes, fast food restaurants, train stations, and parking garages in shopping centers. He never stayed long in one place, though. He was scared of getting caught by the police and taken back to his relatives.   
He became severely sleep-deprived. He was at his absolute limit, physically and mentally. He also needed money urgently. He hadn’t managed to find work of any kind so far and he had checked into love hotels to take showers, and regularly washed the little clothes he had at laundromats, which wasn’t that expensive, but his money was almost completely gone. On another restless night, Yukino slumped down in front of a bar and leaned against the wall. It was cold and he was hungry and just felt miserable. Just one full night of sleep and a proper warm meal, that was all he wished for. 

“Hey, chibi, you look like shit,” someone suddenly said to him. He slowly raised his head and looked up at the man who was standing in front of him.   
“Rude,” Yukino mumbled, annoyed.  
The man chuckled and stared at him. He was too exhausted to care about that stranger. _Just leave me alone and keep walking_ , he thought.  
“You’re cute, wanna join me? My hotel is just around the corner. You look tired and hungry, and there’s room service and a big warm bed.”  
“Do they have burgers…” Yukino asked bluntly. He had no idea why, but he was suddenly ravenous for a burger and some fries. He hadn’t had a proper meal in a while, he just bought cheap snacks to save money.  
The man laughed. “They sure do. Come on.”   
Yukino slowly got up and followed the man down the street. His legs felt heavy and his empty stomach hurt. They arrived at a big, fancy-looking hotel after a few minutes, and the man took the absent-minded Yukino upstairs to his room.   
“You can put down your stuff over there. This is the presidential suite, so there’s plenty of space as you can see,” he explained smugly as he took off his expensive-looking coat and loosened up his necktie.   
“Burger,” was all Yukino said as he took off his two jackets and his scarf and placed them on the big red sofa in the center of the room before he sat down. It was all he could think of. He had been hungry many times before, it had become normal back at the hellhouse since his portions were small and they sometimes punished him by starving him for a few days, but having only small snacks every day was just way too little to keep him going for long.  
The man chuckled. “You shall have your burger.” While Yukino used the bathroom, the man called room service and ordered a double cheeseburger, large fries and a large glass of Coke. They knocked only a few minutes later, just when Yukino had sat back down on the sofa. The man put the plate with an enormous burger and a big bowl of fries on the coffee table in front of Yukino. His eyes widened in awe. “Dig in,” the man grinned. He didn’t have to say that twice. Watched by the amused stranger, Yukino devoured almost the whole burger and half of the fries before having to give up. He sighed heavily and pushed the plate away as he took a big sip from the Coke. “Thanks for the meal,” he huffed, satisfied, and burped.   
“You’re fun to watch, chibi. Was it good?”  
Yukino nodded. “Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome. So… now that you’re done eating, how about I’ll have a little meal too?”  
“I’m sorry, there isn’t much left. You should’ve said something earlier,” Yukino replied densely. The man laughed out loud, which startled Yukino.   
“ _You_ will be my meal, chibi,” he replied, grinning ominously. **  
**“Huh?” Yukino froze. He stared at the man in disbelief and started panicking as he realized what situation he was in. He had just blindly followed a complete stranger to his hotel room. He felt like the biggest idiot on earth and he was scared as to what he might do to him now.  
“Listen, chibi, you don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not a serial killer, I won’t murder you or eat you or something,” he chuckled. “I’m providing you food and a warm bed on a cold winter night, so you can do me a favor too, right? I’m helping you out, so you’ll help me out. That’s how the world works."   
“Favor…?”  
“Sex, kid. I want to fuck you. You’re cute and you’re desperate, that’s a nice mix. Also, your shyness is a huge turn on. How old are you?”  
“F-Fourteen,” he answered hesitantly, trying to process what was happening.  
“Really? Are you telling the truth? You look much younger…”  
“I’m not lying.”   
“Alright, so you’re legal. Great! Let me explain to you what your options here are. After letting me have my way with you, you can spend the whole night here in a comfortable king-size bed, have breakfast tomorrow and leave. If it’s fun to fuck you, I might hand you a little pocket money and invite you again. If you please me enough, I might do that on a regular basis. Or you can walk out of that door right now and spend another night outside in the cold with little to no sleep and no food. You look like you’re about to starve or freeze to death, but that’s none of my business, you’re free to leave.”  
A million thoughts ran through Yukino’s head. That guy wanted him to sell his body for food and a bed for one night, he got that. But was he already at a point that low where he would take that offer?   
“They said tonight will be the coldest night in ten years, did you know that? Good luck surviving that,” the man said and turned away from Yukino.  
“W-Wait! Wait…” Yukino jumped up and paused for a moment. He took a deep breath. “Is it going to hurt?”  
“Depends… Do you _want_ it to hurt?”  
“I don’t!”  
“Well then, I’ll do my best. Is this your first time doing it with a man?”  
Yukino nodded. He felt like he wasn’t lying since it would be the first time it was at least remotely with his consent.  
“I figured… Neat. Now if you accept my offer, go take a shower and clean yourself thoroughly.”  
Yukino turned around and headed to the bathroom, his heart beating fast. As he washed himself, he tried to turn off his emotions to prepare himself for what was coming. He wanted to detach from everything. “Mom, dad, Shiori... I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “But I don’t know what else to do.” He took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking. _It will be okay, it won’t kill me_ , he told himself.  
When he was done, he put on a bathing robe and walked out of the bath over to the bed. The man had gotten undressed already and was lying down, his lower half-covered with a blanket. He patted the empty place next to him to signal Yukino to crawl over there. That guy smelled like alcohol and perfume, it was a very obtrusive, gross stench that made Yuki feel like he would get a headache from it soon. He was chubby and the hair that was missing from his head apparently grew all over his body instead. He was already sweaty and Yukino asked himself why that man didn’t take a shower too. He already felt grossed out by him.  
“You’re as stiff as a poker, relax. I’m not going to rape you or anything. But you should know that once I start, I won’t stop, even if you beg me to.”  
Yukino’s stomach dropped, but he nodded and the man opened his bathing robe.   
“You have a very dainty body. It’s almost like a girl’s body, but with a little extra in between your legs, heh.” He started caressing Yukino’s chest. “Does this feel good? Your heart is racing...”  
“Y-Yes,” he lied. He felt ashamed and disgusted by himself for allowing that person to touch him like that. Yukino jolted when the man’s hand grazed his dick.   
“Shit, you’re really cute. Your reactions make me want to ravish you.” He got up and hovered over Yukino. “Open your legs, I’ll loosen you up a little,” he ordered him with his alcohol breath and grabbed something from the drawer of the night stand. It was a bottle of lube, and he spurted some on Yukino’s entrance. Yuki jolted and started shaking. He was scared and wanted to push that man away and run out of the room, but he wasn’t able to move.  
“Was it cold? ” the man asked, and for a brief moment, Yukino thought he was concerned, but then he just laughed and proceeded. He harshly pushed two fingers inside and made Yuki flinch. “You’re too tense, chibi. Relax, or it’ll hurt.”  
“I’m sorry, I can’t... I can’t relax,” Yukino mumbled under his breath, his body completely tensed up.   
“Well, I guess it can't be helped, then. If it hurts, it’s your own fault, remember that. But you’ll get used to it, and you're a man after all. A little pain won't kill you, right? By the way, I’m Eiichi. Just in case you want to call out my name later on,” he chuckled.  
  
Yukino couldn’t say that it was as torturous as what his cousin had done to him, but it still hurt like crazy. Eiichi obviously preferred rough sex, and he seemed to enjoy the sight of the suffering Yukino. At least he wasn’t violent and Yuki was glad that he didn’t tear. At least there was no blood on the condom after Eiichi had pulled out. That man was sweating a lot and at one point he started to bite Yukino and to lick him all over. He felt disgusting and dirty, so he took another shower. But he soon realized that even though his body was clean, there was a type of ‘dirt’ left that water and soap couldn’t remove, no matter how hard he scrubbed. Exhausted, he went back to bed and fell asleep quickly while Eiichi was on his phone, apparently talking to his wife. Yukino slept for twelve hours straight. **  
**When he woke up, Eiichi was gone, but there were an envelope and a note placed on the nightstand. “I had to leave for an appointment. Order breakfast, eat and leave. But take your time. This money is for you, spend it wisely. It was fun fucking you, so you can come back tonight if you need a place to sleep again. Entrance hall, 9 pm.”  
Yukino opened the envelope and gasped. There was 10.000 Yen (around $100) inside; that would last him a while, he thought. He then stuffed it into his backpack, took another shower and left. He didn’t feel like eating at all, his mind was occupied with the pros and cons of going back there. He walked through a nearby park and sat down on a bench next to a playground. As he watched the kids play, he thought back to the times where his life was just as carefree as theirs. During summer, he and his friends always went to a shallow creek where they tried to catch fish with their bare hands. Sometimes Shiori went with them and laughed and giggled while her brother tried his best to “catch their dinner like a real man”, as the boys called it, while she sat in a meadow and arranged little flower bouquets for their mom. Yukino would never forget how bright his sister’s laughter sounded, what the air smelled like when he took a break and laid down on the grass next to her and she snuggled up against him. How warm she felt and how much fun they all had together. Would he ever see his friends again, he wondered. Or had they already forgotten about him? Four years had passed since he had left Osaka; would they even recognize him? Would they even want to be friends with someone like him? Someone who sold his body for food and a bed...  
“Hey! Are you sad? You look sad. Are you? Or is that just your face?” Yukino looked up and saw a teenage boy, gleaming at him, seemingly younger than Yukino, with dark brown hair and freckles.   
“You’re noisy,” he harshly replied. In the next moment, he felt bad about it, but he was in a really bad mood.  
“I hear that a lot, hehe. I’ve seen you around, but you always look so grumpy, I never dared to talk to you. But I just passed by and saw that you look super sad, so…”  
“I’m not, but thanks for your concern. I’ll leave now.” Yukino got up and started walking. He didn’t even know where he wanted to go, but it didn’t really matter, because he would end up at that hotel at nine anyway. That thought was frustrating to him and he got even more agitated.   
“Wait, I’ll walk with you for a bit, you’re heading in my direction.”   
“Great.”   
“I’m homeless too, you know,” the boy suddenly said.   
Yukino stopped walking and looked at him. “How do y-”   
The boy grinned. “I saw you for the first time a couple of weeks ago. You looked pretty banged up, but I was working, so I wasn’t able to talk to you. And I kept seeing you around with your backpack and your sleeping bag tied on it… It’s pretty obvious. You got the hang of finding places to warm up pretty fast though, I was actually impressed, hehe. But life on the streets, especially at our age, is dangerous. I can help you… and teach you some things, if you like. I've been living like this since I was 11, you should take advantage of my knowledge,” he grinned cheekily.  
“Teach me?”  
“Like, not on the feet of the wrong people. Or to stay away from certain areas. You can end up getting raped, snatched and sold off to human traffickers or even killed.” The boy wasn’t smiling anymore. “I’ve seen some things…”  
“What’s your name again?”  
“Taichi,” he grinned.   
“How old are you?”  
“I’m 17.”  
Yukino was surprised by his answer. “You look much younger. I’m 14 and you look younger than me…”   
“Yup, and I make good money with my looks. There are many perverted men out there, you know... I’ve met a lot of those. I left home 'cos my old man was a drunkard and kept beating the living hell outta me. Didn’t wanna put up with it anymore, so I ran away.” He shrugged. “You’ve had it tough too, haven't you? No one is here voluntarily after all. Why did you-”  
“That’s none of your business. Listen, Taichi-kun, I have to think about some things, so would you mind leaving me alone?”  
“What’s with the formalities,” he laughed. “Just call me Taichi, or Tai is fine too. What are you thinking about? If you want to sell your body? Been there,” Taichi said bluntly.   
“Huh? What makes you think that? I’m not a prostitute!”  
“Hey, calm down. I saw you following that guy into a hotel last night, and there’s only one thing you could’ve done together, no?”  
“Hey, what the… Are you stalking me? Fuck the hell off, okay?” Yukino didn’t want to yell at him, but he felt a bit creeped out. He had seen some very strange people lingering on the streets and always tried to stay away from them.   
“I’m not stalking you, promise. It was by pure chance since you were in the area I work in. That district has a lot of gay bars and clubs, so it's the perfect location to pick up customers for a 'prostitute' like me…" he winked.   
"Ah… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just something I don't want to do, but…"  
"But you already did it and now you're confused and troubled and you feel dirty? Like I said, I've been there. But it’s okay to do those moneybags a favor to earn some cash. It’s fast money, after all, those old farts usually don’t have much stamina,” he grinned. "Some of us also just don't have another choice. You gotta do what you gotta do in order to survive."  
"I know. I just hate sex so much... It's painful, and I hate being touched in general."  
"Did that guy rape you because you didn’t want to do it anymore, Grumpy-kun? That happened to me before. Those guys think they can use us however they please, tch.”  
Yukino was appalled by Taichi’s bluntness once again. He obviously wore his heart on his sleeve.   
“My name is Yukino. He didn’t rape me… And he asked me to spend another night with him.”  
“Jackpot, ding ding ding! Why are you so upset then?”   
“I don’t know if I should. I don’t want to sell my body. It’s disgusting.”  
“You need to work on your attitude,” Taichi giggled.   
“Is this a joke to you? Great. You had your fun, now leave me alone.”   
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just that I was just like you when I started doing this... Hey, why don’t we go grab a bite and a hot coffee? My treat.”  
Yukino was hesitant, but in the end, he gave in, since he felt a little hungry after all, and they went to a cafe.   
At first, Yukino was silent and just listened to Taichi, trying to memorize the tips he gave him. He really knew a lot, Yukino was amazed. The best places to sleep throughout the seasons, where to find day jobs, which areas he should stay away from, just many useful things. Taichi tried to get Yukino to tell him about his past, but he refused. He didn’t want to talk about it. Especially with a guy he had just met. Taichi told him about his work and the topic of Eiichi came up again.   
“If he wasn’t violent you should use this opportunity and go back. I mean, he might invite you again in the future if you do a good job. That’s awesome! I get it if you don't want to do this all the time, and there are other jobs too. But he sounds like a good catch… I wish I would've met one of those when I started, tche.”   
“I guess I’m super lucky then, huh? My ass thinks otherwise, but okay…”   
“Well… There are ways to prepare yourself before you see him. He probably doesn’t give a fuck, so you have to take care of it yourself. And always bring your own lube and condoms when you pick up or meet with him. If he wants to do it raw, don’t agree to that! Trust me, you don’t want to catch an STD or have to clean out his cum. If you’re not thorough, it’ll upset your tummy.”   
“I see…” Yukino said, but he knew that already from the times his cousin did that to him. He suddenly noticed that they were talking about it as if it was the most normal thing in the world and somehow, it made him feel uncomfortable.  
“I know how you feel, believe me,” Taichi said as he noticed his expression. “But we have to do what we have to do in order to survive.”  
“Probably… It’s fine, right? If I only do that with him...“  
“Yup. You can work day jobs too, but also earn some money from him.”  
“I guess…”  
“Hey Gloomy-kun, it’s almost as if I’m your teacher! You should call me Sensei,” he suddenly said.  
“Absolutely not.”  
“Aw, come on… Okay, then call me Senpai at least.”  
“I refuse.”  
“Why, I’m older than you after all!”  
“But you act like a brat.”  
“Ehhh, so mean!” Taichi laughed and even Yukino felt a little lighter at heart.   
  
Yukino went back to the hotel in the evening and met with Eiichi. Two nights in a row were tough on his body, but that man paid well. The next morning, Yuki found an old flip phone lying next to another note. “You’re a good boy. Take this, keep it charged. I’ll call you the next time I want to fuck you. Again, you can eat and take a shower before you leave. Sorry for biting your nipple too hard. I left some extra cash, go get some ointment or something. See you.”  
“It’s fine. They’re just favors from time to time…” Yukino told himself to stay calm. He was fourteen, homeless and an occasional prostitute now. All his belongings fit into a backpack and he lived in constant fear of getting raped or murdered. He fought hunger, fatigue and the seasons every day. He met other homeless kids his age, but many of them became victims of gang fights, drugs, got arrested and some committed suicide. Everyone fought for their own lives in their own way. Yukino never made any friends, because the thought of getting attached to someone and seeing them become a victim of their life's circumstances was too scary to him. He occasionally met up with Taichi, though. They each did their own thing, but it was nice talking to him once in a while.   
Thanks to his little arrangement with Eiichi, he often was able to have proper meals, take regular showers, wash his clothes, and even buy cheap new ones from time to time. Sometimes Eiichi didn’t call him for longer periods, and he ran out of money. Day jobs were hard to find since it was mostly hard labor and he wasn’t the strongest by all means. There were times when he didn’t eat for days. Yukino was tempted to steal food from stores, but never actually did. He was too scared of getting caught and brought back to the hell house.  
  
Three years passed, but Yukino still hadn’t become used to that life. In a way, he refused to get used to it, because to him, that meant he was giving up. He knew how to go along with it, but he hated every minute of it and couldn’t wait for the day he would turn 20 and call his parents’ lawyer about his inheritance. It would help him to start a new and safe life... He just had to push through for three more years. That’s what he thought, but destiny had something different in store for him.


	3. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS:
> 
> Rape, violence, wish to die

One day in fall, Yukino was wandering around aimlessly. He wasn’t feeling well, probably an upcoming cold. _Great,_ he thought. _Two days before I’m supposed to meet up with Eiichi_. To him, it was a miracle that this man still called him. Yukino still didn’t enjoy their sex, or their time together in general. It was quite the opposite. He felt like, over the years, he felt more and more disgusted by him. Not once did he even have an erection during the act. It was still just painful because he liked it rough. And it became rougher, Yuki felt. His biting fetish had gotten so bad that he was often covered in bruises. And even though Yuki prepared himself thoroughly every time, that man just thrust his dick into him as if he was a piece of meat. No kind words, no gentle touch. But he still paid well, so Yuki was fine with it. He had accepted it and never really thought about it. It was the only form of sex he knew, after all.  
But doing it for at least two nights in a row while having a cold… That would be really rough.  
It had gotten late that day and Yukino decided to check into a hotel. He hated wasting money like that, but he wanted to at least try to sleep off that damn cold.   
He felt a little dizzy and he had a headache, so he wanted to rest a bit and took a break on his way to the nearest hotel he could think of. While he was leaning against the wall at the beginning of an alleyway next to a bar, a man with grey hair and a mustache, wearing a designer suit, walked past him. He caught Yuki's attention because the man suddenly laid eyes on Yuki and stared at him. He walked in his direction, stopped and kept staring for a moment. Yukino felt very uncomfortable, something felt off about him. “Is something the matter, old man?” he asked.   
“Who are you calling an old man?” He walked closer to Yukino. “You’re cute, are you a whore? How about we hit up a hotel? I’ll pay you very well if you're a good boy,” the man grinned voraciously.   
Yuki’s stomach churned. He wasn’t sure if he was disgusted by that person, or if it was his upcoming cold. “No, thanks."  
“I know how to make little twinks like you feel good.” He chuckled, reached out and groped Yuki's butt.  
"Hey, who said you're allowed to touch, pervert?!" Yukino pushed him away, he staggered and almost fell. "Now fuck the hell off, you’re grossing me out," Yuki hissed.  
The old man clicked his tongue and glared at him spitefully, but then he turned away and continued walking while muttering something under his breath. Yukino took a deep breath of the humid autumn air and sighed. "What a damn creep," he mumbled and leaned back against the wall. He still felt dizzy, so he wanted to rest for five more minutes. But he still had a bad gut feeling. “I should leave…” he mumbled and went to pick up his backpack which he had placed on the floor next to him, when suddenly...  
“Hey, bishi,” he heard someone say. As he looked up, he already felt a big fist meeting his chin. The eruption made his head fall backwards, he lost balance and fell to the ground.   
"Ugh! Ow..." He rubbed his hurting jaw.   
“This man right here just came up to us and offered us a lot of money to fuck you up. Seems like you pissed off the wrong guy," the person who just hit him cackled. Yuki raised his head and saw four men circling him. They looked like some of those petty crooks he saw at the docks from time to time, who did the dirty work for the big shot drug dealers. Those guys were idiots, but they were ruthless and would do anything for money, so Yukino always tried to stay away from them and the trouble they meant. The groper he had rejected a few minutes ago was standing behind them, grinning maliciously.   
“Oh come on, how butthurt can you be,” Yukino said while rolling his eyes. Just as he had finished his sentence, one of them kicked him in the guts. “Ugh!!” He coughed and slumped to the side, holding his stomach. So his feeling was right, that old fart meant bad news and he regretted not having left that place right after their encounter.   
“Not here, people can see...” their client interfered. One of his attackers nodded, grabbed Yuki by his hair and dragged him further into the alley, so they would be more hidden from the eyes of passersby.   
"Ow, let go, asshole," Yukino struggled. He was scared to death and tried to escape with all his might, but that guy was stronger.   
"Shuddup," he shouted as he shoved Yukino on the ground and the four of them started kicking and hitting him. He was unable to get up and run since they hit him relentlessly, and he probably was already too injured to move fast enough anyway. They kicked and boxed him in the back, his stomach and chest, his legs and against his head, which he tried to protect with his arms. He curled up in a ball as a defense mechanism, so most of the kicks that were aimed at his stomach got shielded by his legs. One of them complained that he was “too bony” and that kicking him hurt, so he took a break. _What a joke_ , Yukino thought. He was unintendedly aware of what was happening. He would have preferred it to be more like tripping and falling, where the brain shuts off and doesn’t perceive and remember the fall itself… But he wasn’t that lucky. He could feel every impact and heard his attackers' laughter. At moments, his defense was slacking due to his tired and hurting muscles, so they managed to land some strikes on his unprotected upper body. It had most likely been only a few minutes, but to him, it felt like an eternity. One of them landed a heavy hit on Yuki’s head and he felt his consciousness drifting away as a warm fluid dripped down his forehead.  
“Hey, that’s enough. Good job,” Their client said and they instantly stopped. “You can start phase two now, he shouldn't be able to struggle much anymore.”   
Yukino tried to catch his breath, when they suddenly grabbed his wrists and ankles and pulled hard on them, so his body was stretched out on the ground. He was lying flat on his stomach, his arms and legs pinned down. He wasn’t able to move at all, even if he would have had the strength.   
Yukino wanted to speak, but he wasn't able to say anything. It was like he couldn’t get enough air inside his lungs. His chest and stomach just hurt too much. Suddenly, he felt something heavy on his body.   
“Still not in the mood? Too bad…” that old man, who was leaning on him and rubbing his genitals on Yuki’s back, whispered into his ear. He sat up and started fumbling on Yukino’s jeans. He opened his pants and pulled them down. Not all the way, but enough to expose his behind. Then he realized what that bastard was up to…  
"N-No, stop…" Yukino tried to yell, but all that came out was whimpering.   
"Yes, that's good. Cry a little, that’s such a huge turn on," the man chuckled as he opened his own pants and pulled a condom out of his pocket which he put on. "Tsk, this is my best suit, it’ll get dirty because of you. I'm going to have to get it cleaned, so no money for your service, boy whore." With no hesitation, he shoved his erect dick inside Yukino, who gasped for air and shivered in pain. It hurt so much, he felt like he was about to vomit. But as he got assaulted, he held back his voice and didn't make a single sound, because Yukino didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He just tried to keep breathing while he felt like he was suffocating from the nauseating pain in his mistreated body and the place that bastard ravished. The man kept thrusting hard into Yukino while grunting. Yuki tried to detach from his body like he had trained himself over the years, but this time he wasn’t able to. It was just too painful and humiliating. He felt like the last bit of dignity he had left was being taken from him. The will to live was leaving Yukino bit by bit with every thrust. The pain, the feeling of defenselessness, his face rubbing against the dirty asphalt, the smell of rotten food from the dumpster next to them mixed with the perfume of that man… It was unbearable.   
“Urgh, this is really exciting. I’ve never fucked someone this helpless before. Look at you gasping for air, covered in blood, so adorable,” Yukino’s rapist sneered.   
"Ngh… Disgusting… pathetic… sicko…" he huffed weakly. He was screaming for help internally, but there was no one who would come to his rescue.   
As the man greedily groped Yukino's lifeless body, all he wanted was to give up. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. No more. He was ready to die in that alleyway.   
_I’m sorry, mom and dad. I can’t anymore._   
“Dammit, don't pass out," one of the crooks standing next to them watching said, as he kicked Yukino's leg. A sharp pain went through his body and he jolted.   
"Idiot, stop that, he's clenching my dick! I said you can have your share of him once I'm done, didn't I," the old man said shortly before he finished with some final hard thrusts. He pulled out, took off the condom and threw it in the dumpster next to them.   
"Haa, that was refreshing, well done my little sex doll. Now you guys can do whatever you want with him, I'll take my leave. Maybe we'll meet again, and next time you won't reject me, knowing what the consequences are now." He laughed out loud and sauntered away as if he was on a little stroll through the park.   
Yukino glared after him with spite. He hadn’t felt that much hatred ever since his cousin had done the same to him. _At least it's over_ , Yukino thought.   
"Okay, who's next?" one of the remaining men asked. Yukino's stomach dropped.   
"I'll pass. Not into guys," another one said.   
"Me neither, but I'm hard now, so I might as well…"  
"I wanna try it too!"   
"Nope, I'm out."  
 _So two more_ , Yukino thought. _Two more…_ _Why can’t I just die..._   
"HEY," suddenly someone shouted from the beginning of the alleyway. "Let go of him, NOW!"   
The four men were visibly irritated as they planted themselves in front of him, threateningly. One of them yelled: "Fuck off! This is none of your business!"  
"I already called the cops," the man answered unfazed as he stepped closer to them. "They said they have a car nearby. They'll arrive any second!”   
"Fuck this shit, I’m out. Hey guys, let's leave.”   
"He's clearly bluffing, Taka."  
"But what if he isn't? I don't wanna risk it, it's not worth going to jail again when I have a girlfriend I can fuck."   
Three of them started walking away, but the one who was already hovering over Yukino to take his turn was hesitant. After a moment of thinking, he clicked his tongue angrily, got up and followed his gang. They passed the man who had threatened them and glared at him, but he didn't bat an eye.   
“I’ll get your ass one day, bishi, watch out,” the last one yelled and laughed as they vanished around the corner. As soon as they left the narrow alley, his savior hurried over to the motionless Yukino.   
“Hey, kid! Can you hear me?”   
Yukino felt something warm covering his body. "Don’t touch me," he whispered as he tried to get up.   
“I'm not touching you. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.” He showed Yuki his hands. “See?”  
Yukino then noticed that the man had wrapped his coat around him. He spoke with a gentle voice and he had a pleasant scent on him.   
"I’m… safe…?”  
“Yes, those bastards took off.”  
“The police... I have to leave… Akh!" Yuki jolted and slumped down. He realized that it was impossible for him to get up and just walk away, so he started panicking. If he stayed there, the police would find out who he was and take him back to his relatives. He was 17, still a minor. Under no circumstances would he go back there, he thought.  
"It's okay, I was bluffing. I didn't call the police, there was no time. But I will have to call an ambulance, you're bleeding."  
“No ambulance, please… I can’t go back there...”  
“Go back to where?”  
“That house… Please…”  
“Shoji-san, let’s take him to my doctor’s office. It’s not far from here and his practice is very well equipped,” someone interrupted Yukino. He hadn’t noticed until then, but there had been another person. He was tall and blonde as far as he could tell, but his sight was blurry. He felt dizzy and closed his eyes. His mind went blank as he eventually started blacking out. The last thing he heard was a part of the conversation between those two strangers whose mercy he was at now.  
"Harada-san, this looks bad. We better hurry."  
"Carry him to my car. I'll call the doctor right away. It's late, but he lives right next to his office, so he'll be there fast."  
"Alright.”   
Then Yukino’s lights went out. 

When he came to, he felt unexpectedly warm and comfortable. His eyes still closed, Yukino wondered what had happened and where he was.  _ Am I dead? Is it over now? _ he asked himself. He hadn't felt that comfortable in a long time. That was not what being alive felt like for him, so he must have died, he was sure. But what had happened?    
Then, he remembered. He had a flashback of what happened in the alley… He remembered it so vividly, it felt like it was happening all over again. He gasped, opened his eyes wide in panic and reflexively tried to sit up. “Get off me!” he yelled, but he instantly met a crushing pain in his entire body. “Ngh!” He flinched and slumped back down into the pillows of the big bed he was lying in.   
“Hey, hey, easy there, buddy!”   
Yukino heard a slightly familiar voice coming from the other side of the room. He saw a man quickly getting up from an armchair in front of a big window, rushing over to him. He sat down on the bed right next to the heavily breathing Yukino.   
“It’s okay, you’re safe here, please calm down. No one is going to hurt you, I promise.”   
Yukino suddenly remembered his voice from that night. He was there too. The man had unconsciously placed his hand on Yuki’s chest to gently hold him down and to reassure him, but Yukino froze the moment he touched him and just stared at him, frightened.    
“Ah, I’m sorry!” He instantly withdrew his hand and got up. "You don’t have to be scared, I won’t harm you. I’m the guy who scared those crooks off, remember? You should take it slow, your injuries are really bad."   
Yukino just glared at him skeptically.   
"My name is Shoji Kenjirou. I found you that night, remember? My boss was there too. A tall, blonde guy. We took you to his doctor's practice after you passed out. You were out for two days with a high fever, you caught a really bad cold on top of what happened. Your body is still weak and overall in a bad shape.”  
Yukino just kept staring at that man, trying to remember what had happened after that bastard had raped him. Those crooks wanted to do the same, he remembered, but… Someone stopped them…   
“You… Saved me…” Yukino said weakly.   
“I tried. I wish I would’ve been there sooner. How are you feeling now? It’s nice to be able to ask you directly…" he smiled warmly. "It's okay if you don't want to talk, you know. You're weak and you went through an awful lot, after all, so no pressure there. Oh, but please watch out when you move your arm, there's a needle in there for the infusion. You weren't able to drink since you were out cold, but the doc needed to keep you hydrated, so you got infusions in the mornings and in the evenings... Is it okay if I take your temperature real quick? I need to know if it went down… I have this electronic device that can take it from your ear. The doc gave it to me. Is it okay? I won’t touch you.”   
Yukino nodded slowly and the talkative man proceeded to check his temperature.  
“It’s still very high. I can't use cooling pads since your forehead is bandaged because of a head wound… But you should definitely drink something... Your throat must be pretty dry, no? I’ll go and get you a glass of water… Or maybe tea? Ah, I'll just bring both. Are you hungry? Probably... you haven't eaten in two days after all. I made rice porridge earlier, I thought it’s good to have softer foods for now, since your face is pretty damaged... Your jaw must hurt,” Shoji babbled. Yukino was a little overwhelmed by the situation and the number of words that came out of that man’s mouth.   
“Oh, and I took your backpack. Well, my boss did, but we forgot about it with everything that was happening, so it's still in his car. I'll pick it up or he'll bring it here in case he wants to check up on you. The office of the company I work for isn't far from here. Oh and in case you want to make a call to tell anyone where you are, let me know.”   
Yukino nodded, but of course, there was no one he could have called.   
“Okay, I’ll go and get you some porridge.” Shoji left the room.    
Yukino was suspicious of his behavior and actions. His past had taught him to never trust anyone because everything came at a price. Undiluted kindness was something that didn’t exist in his world.  _ What is he aiming to achieve by doing this _ , Yukino wondered. _   
_ He noticed how tense he had been the whole time and tried to relax. He sighed and examined his toiled body. His right arm was in a cast, but it didn't hurt that much. His chest and stomach, on the other hand, were hurting pretty badly; every breath he took was painful. He slowly took the blanket off to take a closer look at the rest of his body. Yukino was wearing a pair of boxers, but no pants, and a white shirt. Both weren’t his, and were too big on him. They had obviously changed his clothes.  _ Guess that was inevitable, _ he thought. Then, he lifted the shirt and eyed up his stomach. It was covered in dark purple and deep red bruises, his chest was wrapped in bandages. His hips and legs were also bruised badly. Simply looking at them hurt.    
“The doc thought you’d been in a car accident when he first saw you,” Shoji said as he reentered the room, carrying a wooden dinner tray over to the bed. He parked it on a chair that was placed next to the bed, covered Yukino with the blanket and then placed the tray over his lap. “You really shouldn’t lie around uncovered, you’re still running a fever. You’re already half sitting, the doc said it’s better for your breathing, but is it high enough for you to eat?”   
Yukino nodded.    
“Alright. I’ll sit down over there and continue reading my book. I stayed here while you were out so that you wouldn’t be alone when you wake up. I thought it would be scary for you to wake up at an unknown place,” Shoji explained and walked over to the chair by the big window where he had sat before. The room was spartanic, but stylish and Yukino had to admit that it was the most comfortable bed he had ever laid in. He watched Shoji and then took the spoon with his left hand. He was a little clumsy since he was right-handed normally, but he managed. Yukino took a mouthful of the home-cooked meal and his eyes opened wide in surprise.   
“You like it? Looks like it at least,” Shoji chuckled. “I’m not good at cooking, but that’s one of the few things I can make. That, and my Tamagoyaki are well renowned,” he grinned, but no reaction or answer from Yukino. He just continued digging in, enjoying the first home-cooked meal in years. After a few minutes, Yukino placed the spoon on the tray.  
"You're done already? That was fast. I’ll bring you more later, but the doc said to keep your first portions small so you won’t feel sick after not eating in a while." Shoji got up, placed the glass of water he had brought on the nightstand, took the tray and walked back to the door. But before he left, he said: "Please drink something, and sleep some more. You need all the rest you can get. I'll check up on you again later, and the doc will be here soon, too." Then he walked out and shut the door.   
Yukino felt relieved to be alone, he definitely needed a breather. A lot had happened and his future was uncertain at that point. When would he be able to leave? How long would it take for his body to heal? Would that man, Shoji, call the authorities on him? Suddenly, Yuki felt exhausted. He sighed, decided to postpone thinking about what he'd do next and drifted off to sleep. 


	4. Not all heroes wear capes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has cameos of Hiki and Howl from my other Story. You can find the whole scene of how Hiki and Shoji met there ^^  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/20538620/chapters/55618141 (As long as I have you Chapter 12)

Shoji carried the dinner tray over to the open kitchen that was separated from the living room by a kitchen island. He put it on the counter and sighed. "Crap… I think I overdid it a bit… I definitely talked too much, but... ” Shoji hoped the boy wasn’t scared of him. Waking up in a complete stranger’s apartment after going through something like that must have been very scary, he thought.  
A sudden "Mew!" coming from down by his feet caught Shoji’s attention and interrupted his train of thought.  
"Hey, Sumi. You woke up too, I see." He picked up a small black cat from the floor and pet it. "Haa, Sumi… Looks like I picked up another stray. He even has the same hair color as you, this better not become a habit," he chuckled.  
"Mew," the cat answered, relaxed and started purring.  
"You were scared too when I found you in that dumpster. You even tried to bite me, but now we’re friends, so I hope... Ah… My phone is buzzing." He pulled his smartphone out of his pocket to answer it. "Harada-san, thank you for calling me back. I’m really sorry for the trouble, but thank you for letting me take the day off."  
"It's fine, Shoji. How's the kid doing?"  
"He woke up earlier… He doesn't talk much, though. Oh, and he still has a fever, but doctor Nomura is going to pay us a visit later anyway."  
"Alright, just stay home for the rest of the week. You don’t have to be in the office for your current project anyway.”  
“Thank you, that’s a big help.”  
“So he didn’t mention any relatives or anyone he’d like to contact?”  
“No. Maybe when he warms up a little more. But I’m pretty positive that our assumption is correct and he’s a street kid.”  
“Yeah, the big backpack with the sleeping bag and other things tied to it… It definitely looks like it. But let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s hope he starts talking soon because if we’re wrong, there are people worrying about him. I'll tell Kinsley to send you the files you need."  
"Thank you, Shachou. I'm really sorry for the trouble. Getting you involved in this…"  
"Don't mention it, you did a good thing, of course, I'd support that. But don't forget to rest too, Shoji."  
"I won't, thank you.” He smiled. “Oh, how is Hikaru-kun doing by the way?"  
“He’s alright, just a bit stressed out because of his upcoming exams.”  
“Right… But he’s smart, he’ll probably ace all his subjects again, right?”  
“Definitely,” Howl chuckled proudly. “Since I’ll have to stop by at your place to bring the boy’s backpack, how about I bring him too? I bet they'll get along well and it might help the boy to talk to someone who’s close in age.”  
“That’s a great idea,” Shoji agreed.  
“Hmm… How about Friday evening... Around seven?”  
“Perfect. He’ll probably be over his cold by then. I’ll cook dinner, so make sure to come with an empty stomach.”  
The two men said their goodbyes and hung up. Shoji walked over to the sofa in the center of the living room, still holding his cat. He slumped down, leaned back and caressed the black bundle on his lap. "Did I just offer to cook dinner? I’m an idiot… Oh well, I’ll just look up some easy recipes and if I fail, I can just order in… They’ve never been to my place before. I’m kind of nervous, Sumi."  
Even though their relationship had become very amicable over time, the circumstances of how he was hired by Harada-san were quite peculiar. Before he started working at Castle Tech, he worked for another company in the same field, but it was a very unpleasant work environment and his supervisor had been an absolute bully. But Shoji thought he was lucky to at least have a job. One day, he was framed for a mistake his supervisor’s cousin, who was in Shoji’s team, had made, that had cost the company millions. So they fired him, effective immediately, and told him he should be happy they didn’t sue him. They had made sure to completely ruin his reputation, so no other company wanted to hire him, even though his position in IT was hard to cover. He wasn't able to cover his rent and lost everything in the blink of an eye.  
Then, one day, when he sought shelter in the basement garage of a random office building for the night, a young man walked up to him. At first, Shoji thought that he wanted to tell him to leave and threaten to call the police like people usually did, but this time it was different. That person gave him bags filled with food and then sat down next to him on the ground to have a conversation with him. Just like that. Shoji had asked why he was helping him even though he didn’t know him. His answer was: “I don’t need to know someone to help when help is needed”. Shoji smiled over those memories of him. That young man was the kindest soul he had ever met. After he had asked, Shoji told him the reason he was homeless and it was the first time he didn't feel judged. In the end, the young man, who introduced himself as Hikaru, even handed him a not so small amount of money. Shoji didn't want to take it, but he insisted and said that if his plan worked, Shoji would be able to pay him back soon. He later sent him a message to the phone Shoji had kept to stay in contact with his family, told him to be at one of the offices in that building at a certain time the next day, and to bring a resume if he had one. Shoji was very confused but did as he was told. It turned out he had an appointment with Harada-san, the boss of a thriving and already well-renowned software and home security system development and IT service company, for a job interview. He seemed like a very serious person, had a stoic expression and didn’t beat around the bush. He bluntly said that he only met him to do Hikaru-kun a favor. But he still heard him out, asked many questions, seemed genuinely interested in Shoji as a person and in his motivations. They had a very long conversation and Shoji quickly understood that Harada was actually a very kind person and only seemed intimidating due to his facial characteristics and his deep voice. He had to undergo a little test, which Shoji passed with flying colors and got hired on the spot. He was incredibly grateful for the opportunity and worked very hard. Harada-san didn't judge him for a second, even said he wouldn’t 'give a crap about rumors' and he would always form his own opinion on someone after meeting them. Maybe his open-minded character was due to his young age. He was 27, like Shoji.  
Many people in his profession desired to work at Castle Tech. The salary was above average and the work environment was great and family-like. Shoji had made friends there on his first day, so even working over hours wasn't a pain. Their boss was very understanding and always concerned about every single one of his workers, from his personal assistant to the cleaning personnel. Shoji and his colleagues were therefore very committed to their employer, who was openly living in a gay relationship with Hikaru-kun. Shoji admired him for that. He himself was bi but wasn’t out. He wasn’t sure how his family would react. Even though they had always been supportive, he didn't want to risk anything, didn't want to be a disappointment to them or trouble them in any way. But Shoji had never had a meaningful relationship with neither men nor women so far, so he didn't feel the need to make much ado about nothing. Why go through the trouble when there’s no one I’m in love with anyway, he thought. Maybe one day, if the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with was a man, he would come out.  
What am I even thinking about… Harada-san was right, I should sleep a little, I really haven't gotten much rest since that day, Shoji thought. He closed his eyes, but instead of falling asleep, he recalled the happenings of the past three days. On Friday, everything had been as usual. It was a normal workday, and in the evening, he and Harada went out for a drink to a bar near the office. Normally his boss would go home to his lover as soon as he could, but he said that Hikaru-kun was studying, and he didn’t want to distract him, so he asked Shoji if he’d like to join him. When they left the bar, Shoji glanced into an alleyway they passed, because he saw some unexpected movements in the corner of his eye. He realized what was going on, although he thought of a robbery at first, and immediately stepped into action. He was not expecting that his spontaneous "I just called the cops" shtick would work, but luckily, it did. He wasn't sure if those men carried weapons, but fortunately, they left without causing him any trouble. After taking the boy to Harada's doctor, Shoji helped with the examinations, since there was no nurse in the practice at that hour. He remembered how shocked he was at the sight of that young boy's tormented body. He helped clean him up, but they weren’t sure how to proceed from there. The boy had desperately begged him not to call an ambulance or the police, so he was either a criminal or a runaway. Shoji went with the assumption that he ran away from home or an orphanage since the boy had mumbled something about a house he didn’t want to go back to... But even if he was a criminal, he didn't mean any danger due to that miserable state he was in. Thinking about it, he didn't look like a bad person anyway. He had a rather gentle expression while he was sleeping, and a very benign appearance in general from what Shoji could tell. His boss had offered to take him in for the time being, but Shoji felt responsible and didn't want to bother Harada-san and his partner even more. And he had a spare room.  
A nurse came by to check up on him every morning and every night after their practice closed. Shoji never left the boy's side. Sometimes, during his fever dreams, he was whimpering and called out for his parents. Shoji was a very empathetic person in general, so it was hard for him to watch it, even though he didn't know the boy at all. 

He sighed loudly and tried to stop thinking. He wanted to take a nap after all, but his mind was just too busy. Shoji eventually started drifting off after a while, when a sudden squeak pulled him back. His cat was gone, so he sat up and looked for the source of the sound and noticed someone standing at the entrance of the living room. He quickly got up. “Kid, what the heck are you doing?” Shoji rushed over to the boy, who was weakly holding on to the door frame.  
"B-Bathroom…" he huffed.  
"Oh! Yes, of course, that figures… Let me help you get there…"  
“I can go by myself, it's fine... kh…” Yukino leaned over more and more, his stomach and ribs just hurt too much for him to keep a straight posture.  
“You’re actually supposed to wear a sling for your arm, the doc told me to put it on when you get up, because of your broken ribs… It’s supposed to help with your posture and…”  
Shoji wanted to take Yuki's arm to support him, but he suddenly jolted away, but the pain from that sudden movement made him flinch even harder. "Ow…!"  
"Okay, listen kid, this won't work, don’t be so stubborn, please.” Shoji spoke to him with a firm voice now. “I know you've been through an awful lot and I'm a stranger, but I sincerely want to help you and I'm the only one who's here to do so right now. Except you want to make a phone call after all and tell someone to get you..."  
"I don't have anyone…" he mumbled. The only person he slightly knew and would call an acquaintance was Eiichi, and he surely wouldn’t give a… Oh no, Yukino thought. I’m supposed to meet up with him on the weekend...  
"Well, then you'll have to rely on me for now, kid." Shoji interrupted his thoughts and offered him his hand. After a few seconds, Yukino took it. He was surprised that the boy caved. Maybe he needed to be more firm about certain things.  
"Y-Yukino…" he mumbled as he leaned on Shoji's arm to straighten up. Shoji smiled.  
"That's a beautiful name. Which kanji are used for it?" he asked, trying to distract Yuki, who slowly took one step after another. He was breaking into a sweat from the pain.  
"Snow… field…" he replied huffing.  
"Were you born in winter?”  
Yukino nodded. He didn't want to tell his last name or birth date, fearing the stranger might call the police after all.  
“My name is written with the kanji for proper peace… Oh, watch out, there’s a cat toy on the floor…” Shoji kicked it out of their way.  
“Y-You own a cat?”  
“Yeah… Sumi doesn’t like people, though, so he keeps hiding whenever I have guests. Don’t take it personally, he hasn’t had the best experiences with humans in the past. Alright, we’re here.” Shoji had led Yukino into the keshoshitsu, the dressing room, with a sink and a big mirror on the left, and two doors across from the entrance. “The toilet is on the left, the bath is on the right,” he explained. “I’ll wait outside, take your time.” As he was about to close the door, he noticed that Yukino had frozen and was staring into the mirror. "Are you okay, Yukino-kun?"  
"M-My face…" Yuki was utterly shocked at his appearance. Not that he was vain, but it looked quite terrifying. His left eyelid was swollen and colored in a deep purple, his eyeball was red. His jaw, also on the left side, was purple, blue and green. The inside of his mouth had some painful cuts where his cheek had met his teeth during the punches, but he hadn't expected it to look like that on the outside. The bridge of his nose was swollen too and he had blue and green bruises on the inner corners of both eyes. He also had a big bandage on the left side of his forehead and scratches on his cheeks where his skin had rubbed on the asphalt when that man… "Kh… Dammit." He didn’t want to think about it. Yuki felt like he didn't look like himself. At least his cousin and uncle used to spare his face because of school…  
"Don't worry," Shoji interrupted Yukino's dark thoughts. "The Doctor said that nothing broke, so you'll look like new once it healed."  
Yukino just nodded, turned towards the door that was leading to the toilet, and Shoji shut the entrance door.  
Afterwards he helped Yukino get back to bed.  
“Alright, Yukino-kun, you did it. How are you feeling? I hope your fever won’t rise again.” Shoji looked at his watch. “Ah, Doctor Nomura will be here in about thirty minutes, good. He wanted to come anyway, but he will be happy to see you’re awake.”  
He tucked Yuki in and smiled. “Well done. I thought I might have to carry you, but you’ve done well on your own.”  
Yukino blushed and averted his eyes shyly. Shoji chuckled internally. Cute, he thought as he sat down on the bed next to him.  
“Shoji-san, do you have my jacket? Or is it still in your boss' car too?”  
“No, it’s here. I can bring it to you.” Shoji got up and left the room to pick up the boys’ jacket from the closet at the entrance of his apartment. “Here you go,” he said as he handed it to him. Yuki looked through the pockets and pulled out the old flip phone Eiichi had given him three years ago. He opened it and there was still some battery left. Yukino saw thirteen missed calls on the screen and the number made his stomach drop.  
“You have a phone? I thought you don’t have anyone…”  
“I don’t have a family is what I said.” Without caring about Shoji’s presence, he dialed Eiichi's number and his heart jumped when he picked up.  
“Dammit boy, I’ve been trying to reach you. Where the fuck have you been?”  
“I’m sorry, Eiichi-san. I had a little… accident. I won’t be able to meet you this weekend.”  
“Huh?! Why not? Shit, I need to blow off some steam… What a pain…”  
“I’m deeply sorry, really. Please don’t be mad…”  
Shoji felt uncomfortable listening to the phone call, but it was too late to leave the room anyway, so he awkwardly cleaned up the nightstand.  
“I’ll be free in three weeks from now. Can you make it?”  
“I… I’m not sure…” Yukino thought about how his body felt.  
“Listen, boy, if you’re not there in three weeks, I’ll look for someone new to have fun with. I don’t have time for this bullshit. If you don’t show up, don’t bother calling me ever again".  
“B-But…” A sudden click let him know that Eiichi had ended the call. “Dammit!” Yuki cursed as he threw the phone on the bed. For the past three years, he had fulfilled all of Eiichi’s needs, no matter how obscene they were. Had endured his reckless and selfish behavior, for what? To be thrown away just like that? Yukino was angry and frustrated.  
“Are you okay?”  
He suddenly realized that Shoji was still in the room. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”  
"Yukino-kun, I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive and you don't have to answer, but I'm curious. You said that you don't have a family, so I assume…"  
"I live in the streets. I ran away from that house and I won't go back there."  
"To what house? An orphanage?"  
"My relatives’ house. They’re bad people, I'm much better off on my own."  
“But… What happened to your family, then?”  
Yukino stayed silent. He had never talked about his loss with anyone, so he would surely not share his story with this stranger.  
Shoji noticed the boy’s uneasiness and quickly changed the topic. "Well, at least that means you're not a criminal. Just a runaway," he smiled. "Oh, but I guess you could be both, hmm…" he glanced at Yuki sceptically but immediately started laughing when he saw the boy's startled expression. "You look like a deer in the headlights. I’m just joking. You don't look very threatening to me." He winked.  
Yukino realized that taking him in had meant a big risk for Shoji. Why would anyone put themselves in danger for someone they didn’t even know…?  
"How old are you, Yukino-kun?"  
"Seventeen."  
"You look younger…"  
"I'm not lying."  
"That's not what I was trying to say," Shoji smiled again. His smile was always kind and comforting. His expression was gentle and his brown eyes looked almost as if they were glowing. His whole aura felt warm and calming, Yukino thought and blushed. What am I even thinking, jeez…! He could be a human trafficker for all I know, waiting until I’m healed so he can sell me off to the highest bidder...  
“Since when do you live on the streets?”  
“Three years.” Yukino’s agitation about Eiichi started to transfer on Shoji. Was he asking because he wanted to get to know him better, or did he have other intentions? Yuki was confused and didn’t know how to feel about this man. Everything was just too much to process for him. “Is this an interrogation or something?”  
“Not at all. I’m just interested in you. It must've been very hard for you. Being homeless and all by yourself at such a young age...”  
“No, it wasn’t. I get along just fine. And what do you know, living in this fancy apartment and all…” Yukino grumbled.  
“Never judge a book by its cover, Yukino-kun. I wouldn’t say my life was super tough, but I grew up with four siblings and had to work hard for my education since we weren’t exactly wealthy. Lower middle class, I’d say. I wasn’t able to finish Uni because my mother got sick and I had to work to help cover the medical bills. And without an official degree, it was tough to find a job. I managed, though. But a few years later they fired me because someone framed me for their mistake. Luckily, the debt had been paid off by then, but I didn’t have any savings, so I got evicted and lost everything..."  
Yukino's eyes widened.  
"It was already tough for me to get by when I was homeless. And it was only for a few months, I can't even imagine how it must be for someone your age. How have you even managed to get by? I mean, do you work day jobs? What about school?"  
"You really ask a lot for someone who doesn't want to be intrusive…" he replied irritated.  
"I guess. I often don’t realize when I talk too much… I would just like to know more about you, because-"  
“You talk too much! I don’t know what your intentions are... I’m thankful that you’re helping me, don’t get me wrong. But to be honest, I don’t trust you one bit, because no one in this rotten world is nice without having ulterior motives. No one. It’s none of your business what I did to survive. Oh boo-hoo, you were homeless for a while. At least you still have a family who loves you...” Yukino paused. “Shit… You’re so annoying...”  
Suddenly, the doorbell interrupted Yukino’s rant.  
“That must be Doctor Nomura. Please be nice to him, he’s a very kind person and a great doctor.” Shoji looked at Yukino with a serious expression and rushed out to get the door.  
Yukino instantly regretted having been so mean.

“Ah, yes, he’s awake, that’s great. Hello, I’m Doctor Nomura.” A grey-haired man entered the room, followed by Shoji, and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He was dressed casually but neatly, was wearing glasses and carried a big leather bag which he placed on the floor next to him. “So, how is my mysterious patient doing?”  
“Fine,” Yukino answered. “Th-Thank you for treating me.”  
“A polite young man we have here. What’s your name?”  
“Yukino…"  
“Alright, Yukino-kun, did Shoji-san tell you about your injuries yet?”  
Yuki shook his head.  
“I thought it’s probably better if you tell him, Doctor. I would just mix up things,” Shoji replied.  
“Don’t hide your light under a bushel, Shoji-san. You did a great job when you helped me treat his wounds, you would make a great nurse. So, Yukino-kun, I would like to start with taking a look at your bandages real quick.”  
“I should leave, excuse me,” Shoji said and walked out.  
"He didn't have to…" Yuki muttered.  
"Well, Shoji-san is just trying to be considerate. He probably thinks you might feel uncomfortable being watched by a stranger while you’re only half-dressed, knowing what happened to you." The doctor smiled gently, pulled away the blanket and lifted Yuki’s shirt. “The bandages on your chest are still tight, good. I’ll tell you about your diagnosis, but it’s a lot. If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt me at any time.”  
Yuki nodded.  
“You have two fractured ribs on your right side. Even though it's very painful, your lung is fine at least. But do not lift anything or move around too much. When you’re out of bed for longer periods, wear your arm in a sling, that eases the stress on the fractures. Shoji should have it, he will help you put it on. And despite the fact that you’re covered in contusions, you luckily have no damages on your organs at all. It’s just your muscles, skin and soft tissue that’s been damaged. This can be very painful as well, but it will heal with no issues. Your wrist is broken, that’s why it’s in the cast. It’s a hairline fracture, shouldn’t be too painful.”  
Yuki shook his head.  
“The contusions on your back, legs and hips are really bad though, it will take a while before you're able to walk and move without being in pain and feeling sore. The bandages on your head look fine, but I will change them. You have a laceration on your forehead and a cut on your eyebrow. They didn't need stitches, but I had to tape them, so be careful not to get them wet."  
"Um… M-My eye…" Yuki remembered his image in the bathroom mirror.  
"Tiny blood vessels in your eye burst when you were hit, that's why your eyeball is red. Please don't worry about it, it's nothing major, it'll fade. The bruises, in general, will darken before they heal.”  
“I know,” Yuki replied. He was quite experienced when it came to that.  
“...Your jaw is bruised too, but you didn't lose any teeth and it's not broken. Neither is your nose. You most likely have a concussion, so please don't walk around much on your own, you could get dizzy and fall. Bathroom and back is fine, but I order bed rest for at least two weeks. The sofa is fine too, in case you need a change from time to time."  
“Two weeks?”  
"Yes. For the bed rest. Overall, it should take six to eight weeks until you’re fully recovered.”  
“So long... “ he mumbled disheartened. But it would be fine, Yuki thought. At least he would be able to meet up with Eiichi.  
"I'll check up on you in a couple of days. It’s Monday today, so... Thursday should be fine. For now, I'll prescribe you pain medication. It might make you feel sleepy, but that's what your body needs anyway. And…" The doctor rummaged around in his big leather bag. "This is for your behind. You have anal fissures. This ointment will help those heal faster and ease the pain. Whoever did this to you was ruthless and I’m sincerely sorry you have to go through this. But just so you know, you can trust Shoji-san. He's one of the good guys." The elder man winked and smiled at the startled Yukino, as he placed a little tube in his hand. Yuki took a quick look and then hid it under his pillow.  
"You should talk about it with someone. Keeping it locked up inside isn't good for your mental health. And in order for your body to heal, that's an important factor that should be taken care of as well." He got up and took Yukino's left arm. "I'll take out the IV needle now since you're awake and don't need this anymore."  
Yukino nodded, deep in thought. Talk about what happened… But with whom? He had never even talked about what his cousin had done back then. Or the cruelty of his relatives in general. Or the loss of his family… Yukino had never even had anyone he could talk to. He just tried to suppress his feelings and memories as well as possible. That was the only way to deal with it that he had known.  
"I would suggest seeing a therapist, but you're probably not insured. Shoji-san is covering your treatment already, adding therapy to that would probably be too much," the doctor said whilst taking out the needle and putting a band-aid on the bleeding little dot on Yuki's arm.  
"Shoji-san is paying for it?"  
"Sure! I mean, he's getting a discount for my personal visits due to the unusual situation, but my nurse and the meds need to be paid for, you know." He changed the band-aid on Yuki’s forehead next, cleaned up the medical waste and took his bag. "I told you he's one of the good guys, didn't I? Don't think about it too much, though. You need to focus on healing. I'll see you soon, Yukino-kun." He smiled again and left the room.  
On his way out, the doctor handed Shoji the prescriptions for the medication to treat Yukino. "Just in case it rises again, I wrote something down for the fever as well. The cold should be gone soon, but his body is a battlefield. The fatigue from the pain and wounds can cause a temperature rise as well. So the more strain he puts on his body, the worse it will get. You should help him clean himself, go to the bathroom, and he's allowed to stay on the sofa for a couple of hours per day."  
"I'll do my best to help him. Harada-san said I can work from home this week, so I'll be around twenty-four seven."  
"That’s good. I'll be on my way now and check up on him on Thursday. Call me if his condition worsens, and don't forget to rest too, Shoji-san."  
"Thank you, Doc."  
Shoji escorted him to the door and went straight back to Yukino.  
"Are you okay?" he asked as he entered the room. "That was probably trying. Are you hungry?"  
Yukino nodded.  
"Alright, I'll bring you some rice porridge."  
"Two weeks. Then, I'll leave," Yukino said bluntly.  
"Don't be ridiculous. You won't be fully recovered by then…"  
"It's fine. The doctor ordered bed rest for two weeks."  
"That doesn't mean you will be okay on your own after that. Especially since you have nowhere to go."  
"I know how to survive outside, you don't know anything about me."  
"Not knowing doesn't mean that I don't care or understand."  
Yukino glared at him. "You don’t understand a thing. Two weeks."  
"I won't accept that." Shoji didn't know how to convince him to stay, but a harsher tone helped before, so he wanted to try that again. "Listen, I saved you, I'm taking care of you, I'll have to pay for your medical bills. You owe me, so you’re going to pay me back in form of-"  
“Ah, there it is. Your true colors are finally showing. Just as I thought, you're just the same as everyone else. Of course, your act of kindness comes at a price too.”  
Shoji looked at him confused as Yukino's expression became cold and distant as he uncovered himself. "This is what you want, right? Since you know that I don't have any money… Blowing you won't be possible though and you’re prohibited from kissing me or touching my dick. Those are my only rules. And please don't be too rough. That old fart who raped me and left before you saved me tore me up pretty bad back there," Yukino said coldly with a sarcastic undertone.  
Shoji stared at him in shock. "What the hell?! Are you an idiot?! As if I would do something like that to you! Cover yourself, dammit!”  
"But you said I owe you, so…"  
"Did I ask you to pay me back with sex? What kind of scum would do that? All I'm asking is for you to stay here until your body has completely healed. You will stay, get regular doctor's treatments, rest, and do what he says without any objections. That's how you'll pay me back, idiot! I don't know what kind of people you consider 'everyone else', but let me assure you, I'm definitely not one of them. I don’t ask you to trust me, I don’t deserve your trust, and don’t think I believe I earned it just by bringing you here. You went through hell, you’re suffering. I want to help and you will let me if you like it or not. You don’t even have to talk to me, but you will stay until the Doc gives his okay for you to go back where you came from."  
Yukino was stunned, he hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. He didn’t know Shoji’s character, but it felt off to see him that angry. It seemed atypical for him.  
"I'll go and heat up the food." Shoji left the room and didn't say a single word when he came back with the tray. Yukino felt terrible. He felt ashamed of his actions and he was sorry for insulting the man who helped him so much, and for hurting his feelings. But he didn't dare say that out loud. Yukino’s social skills weren’t the best, so he had no idea how to approach the angry Shoji and apologize.  
"I'll stay," was all he could say when Shoji came back to pick up the tray with the empty plate.  
"I'm glad to hear that. Take your meds and rest."  
He nodded silently and laid down. Yuki thought that he owed him as much, but he would have to find a way to meet Eiichi.  
It wasn’t easy to find the right position, because even though the bed was very comfortable, the pressure on his bruises hurt. But he felt exhausted and at one point he finally drifted off to sleep. 

When Yukino woke up the next morning, he noticed that he was very thirsty. He reached for the glass on his nightstand, but it was empty. Shoji usually filled it up frequently, but he must have forgotten. Yuki decided to go and get some water from the kitchen himself. Slowly and carefully, he made his way there.  
Yuki left his room and walked down the hallway. He took the door he knew led to the living room. Shoji wasn’t there, but Yuki had no idea what time it was; maybe he was still asleep. He had to walk across the whole living room to reach the kitchen at the other end of it. He felt a bit dizzy, so he held onto the bookshelves and cupboards on the wall to his left. There were two doors on that side, and Yuki knew that one of them led to the bathroom. He wondered where that other door was going, but he suddenly noticed a framed picture that caught his attention. He paused and looked at it. It showed a family of seven. Two adults with five kids. Two boys, three girls and one of them was a baby, so he wasn’t sure what gender it was. “Oh…” he said out loud as he spotted a younger Shoji standing next to his parents. He was smiling and his hands rested on the shoulders of his two siblings. They looked happy and wholesome. Like him and his family in the picture, he always carried with him in his backpack… It felt weird not being able to look at it since his backpack was in that other man’s car. He usually took it out in moments like this, when he felt lonely. Yuki sighed and continued walking towards the kitchen, huffing when he arrived.  
He was quite proud of himself for making it there, but in the next moment, he thought how stupid that sounded in his head. “Congrats me, you made it to the kitchen. Tch,” he mocked himself. He opened the big black fridge and took a bottle of water. It was a normal 1-liter bottle, but his body still hurt like hell at every movement, so it felt really heavy. He placed it on the counter, huffing again. Using only his left arm was still weird for him. He never realized how little he actually used it before. He then wondered where Shoji kept his drinking glasses and wanted to go through the cabinets when suddenly the bathroom door opened and a middle-aged woman stepped out of it. She was wearing an apron, rubber gloves and carried a mop and a bucket of water. “Eh?! Who are you?!” she shouted. Yukino jolted.  
“Um… I… I’m Yukino…" he stuttered.  
“What the hell are you doing here? Where did you come from?”  
“I… I don’t know… Who are you?” Yukino was completely startled and didn’t know what to reply to that woman, who glared at him angrily.  
“I’m obviously the help. Not that I have to explain myself. Who the heck are you, though? And why does your face look like that? Oh my god, are you a burglar? A criminal?! I’m going to call the police!”  
“N-No, I’m kind of… a friend of Shoji-san’s. I’m going to stay here for a while… I don’t know where he is, but he can confirm that I’m not a burglar or anything like that…!”  
“He didn’t mention any guests… So now I’m cleaning after two people? Tch! If what you say is true, that is...” She put down the bucket so hard that water splashed out.  
“I’m not lying… I-I’m sorry. I’ll be in my room in a moment, I just wanted to get some water… Can you tell me where I can find a glass?”  
The woman scoffed and pointed to one of the cabinets.  
“Thank you…” What the hell is her problem, why is she so mean, he thought. He found her very intimidating. Her voice was unpleasant and her demeanor reminded him of his aunt. Yukino took a glass and wanted to hurry and go back to his room, but then suddenly lost his grip, the glass fell down to the floor and shattered. Yukino stared at the shards for a brief moment and his mind went blank before he started panicking.  
“Oh, no…” he whispered. An instant flashback hit him of that time when he broke one of his aunt’s plates while washing the dishes and was beaten for it badly.  
“What have you done, you clumsy thing! I’m not going to clean that up, that’s for sure,” the woman shrieked.  
Yuki started sweating, his heart was pounding. He dropped down on his knees and frantically started picking up the glass.  
"Stop that," Shoji suddenly shouted. Without them noticing, he had entered the apartment. He dropped the bags of groceries he was carrying and rushed over to Yukino.  
The boy jolted. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to break it! I'm sorry, it was an accident," he yelled.  
“Oh, Shoji-sama, you’re back already,” the woman said with a sweet voice. “I was just about to clean that up…”  
"I'm so sorry I broke the glass! It was an accident, I accidentally dropped it, I didn't mean to! Please don't get mad!"  
Shoji knelt down in front of Yukino and gently took his left hand to stop him from piling up the shards. "Shhh, Yukino-kun, it's okay. Calm down and stop picking up the glass, you're going to cut yourself," he said in a gentle and calm manner. “Ah look, you already did… Come on, get up." He helped him stand up and led him over to the sofa, kicking broken glass out of their way. Yukino was shaking as he sat down.  
“I’ll clean that up real quick,” the woman said, but Shoji stopped her.  
“No need. Just leave,” he growled.  
“I’m not done yet, though…” she replied confused. “I mean, I can do the rest next w-”  
“No. Just leave! Your voice is like the siren of a firetruck, I could even hear you in the damn hallway. I won’t allow you to treat him like that. Leave. No need for you to come back next week.” Shoji didn’t even look at her anymore. He got up, grabbed a towel and pressed it on Yuki’s bleeding hand. “I’ll get the band-aids, Yukino-kun, wait a second.”  
The woman snubbed and stormed out. Shoji went to the bathroom and got a little bag with a big red cross on it. He then took care of the wound. “Look, it’s not even deep, just a scratch,” he said as he put a bandaid on it.  
"I'm so, so sorry… I didn’t mean to… I’m only causing trouble, I’m useless, I’m so sorry," Yukino kept repeating while almost hyperventilating.  
"Just what have you been through, kid," Shoji said, more to himself than to Yukino. He went back to the kitchen cabinet and called out to him in a firm voice. "Yukino-kun, look at me!"  
Yuki diligently did so, startled by Shoji’s firm voice, which pulled him out of his panicking state for a moment.  
"Look…" Shoji opened the cabinet, took out a glass and smashed it on the floor. Yukino jolted and stared at him with his mouth open in shock. Shoji then took another glass and repeated the action. "They're just glasses, Yukino-kun. No big deal, I can just buy new ones… Which I will do these days, because now I only have three left," he chuckled while Yuki stared at him in disbelief. Did he really just smash his glasses and laugh about it? His heart was still pounding, but he was distracted by that man's weird behavior.  
"Alright, I'd better clean this up real quick…"  
"Mew!"  
To both their surprise, a small black cat showed up.  
"Sumi, don’t come closer! This is dangerous…" Shoji warned him, but he wasn't even remotely interested in what his human was doing and walked straight up to Yukino.  
"Yukino-kun, please don't touch him, he's not very friendly with people, I don't want you to get hurt! Sumi, why did you even come out, you normally hide when someone's here, good grief…" Shoji was on his way to grab his cat and take him to his bedroom, but Sumi was faster and jumped on the sofa right next to the still shaky Yukino. They both stared at each other for a moment.  
"H-Hi… I'm Yuki. I won't harm you, promise," Yukino said calmly.  
The cat replied with a soft meow and started purring as he rubbed his face against Yukino's thigh. "You're a good boy, aren't you? And such a beauty, too…" he whispered and caressed the purring furball who stretched out, completely relaxed.  
"Amazing! He has never been like this with anyone… Have you owned cats before?"  
"No. My dad was allergic, so we weren't allowed to keep any pets."  
"I see. You know, I found Sumi in a cardboard box on the street, half dead. He was terribly sick. Someone apparently didn't want to pay for a vet and just threw him out. Thankfully he made it. I guess his owners weren't very nice to him in general, that's why he hates humans, but he seems to like you…" Shoji smiled.  
"You’re very kind for taking in someone so sick and taking care of him so passionately… I think he's very lucky that you found him," Yukino mumbled blushing while caressing the purring cat.  
Shoji grinned. "Are we still talking about Sumi?"  
"What's that supposed to m-... Ngh!" Yuki jolted and held his hurting chest.  
"Ah, Yukino-kun, you should go back to bed. I’ll bring you something to eat in a bit, then take your pain-killers and rest. This was a lot..."  
Yuki nodded and let Shoji help him up and walk him back to bed. Sumi had followed them, jumped onto the big bed and curled up into a ball next to Yukino.  
"Sumi, you can't bother our guest like this. Come on…"  
"It's fine, really…"  
"Okay, if you say so," Shoji smiled. "Sumi, you're lucky that Yukino-kun is so kind."  
"Mew," the cat replied gently as if he wanted to thank Yuki.  
"It's nice not having to sleep alone," he admitted. Shoji was staring at him for a moment. “What’s wrong?”  
“No… I just noticed that you have really pretty eyes…”  
“I don’t,” Yuki muttered flustered. “You can’t even tell with my face looking this demolished… I think I even scared your cleaning lady… Right! I’m sorry about that! You didn’t have to fire her, it was me who dropped the glass after all!”  
“It wasn’t about the glass, it was about how she spoke to you. She can’t disrespect people like that, especially not my guests.”  
“But…”  
“To be fair, I forgot to tell her about you. And I should have told you about her. I messed up. But I wanted to let her go anyway, she was a very… unpleasant woman. Very nosy, went through my stuff all the time. I hired her just a few weeks ago because I’m absolutely useless when it comes to chores and I wanted to have a home-cooked meal at least once a week, but… I regretted it right away. So please don’t worry about it.”  
“Okay…”  
Shoji then went and brought water, lunch and his meds, and quickly after he ate, Yukino fell asleep. Shoji was worried that Yukino might still be too wound up, but he had obviously calmed down. But just in case, after cleaning up the kitchen floor, he sat down on the armchair by the window and watched over him while working on his laptop. The boy slept through the day, woke up in the evening, had dinner and went right back to sleep. His fever had risen a little again and Shoji was sure it was because of that incident earlier. He still called the doctor, who assured him that the temperature wasn’t too high and told him to just let him sleep it off. Shoji still didn’t want to leave Yuki’s side so he once again camped out on the armchair. Luckily, it’s cozy, he thought as he covered himself with a blanket and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my lovely Bunny for helping me and inspiring me. Love you tons! <3


	5. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yukino is starting to warm up a little and their relationship starts developing <3
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING!  
> Yukino is talking about his past at his relatives' house. If you get triggered by child abuse content please don't read.

When Yukino woke up the next morning, Shoji was gone. Yukino saw the blanket on the chair. “Has he been sleeping there? Tch…” he mumbled and sat up. "Ugh…", he moaned as he got out of bed and slowly moved his hurting body through the hallway, holding on to the wall. The door to the room next to his was slightly open, and he could suddenly hear Shoji's voice.   
“Emi-chan, don’t be sad. I promise I’ll come to visit you soon, okay?”  
“B-But Kenji-nii, I miss you so much! I want you to come here _now_ ,” a little girl, maybe five or six, whined. Yuki silently walked over to the door and sneaked a peak. Shoji was sitting at a desk right across from his bed. One of the three computer monitors showed a little girl. Apparently they were in a video call. The girl had pigtails and was wearing a pink dress.   
“I can’t come now, I have to work. And I also have a guest staying at my apartment, so I can’t leave.”  
“A guest? Who is it?”  
“His name is Yukino. He’s very kind, I’m sure you would like him.”  
“Wahhh, Kenji-nii, can you bring him when you visit us next time? Please, please, please! I want to play with him!”  
“I don’t think that’s possible, Emi. He’s a bit sick, you know. That’s why he’s staying here. And I’m sure he’ll want to leave when he feels better.”  
“Eh, Kenji-nii, you look sad... You don’t want him to leave?”  
“Well…”  
"Mew!" A small noise came from the direction of Yukino’s feet as his new little friend greeted him. His stomach dropped. _Shit, it totally looks like I was eavesdropping… Which I was, dammit_ , he thought panicking.  
"Oh, Yukino-kun! Good morning! I’ll be there in a moment, you’re probably hungry. Emi-chan, tell our parents that everything’s okay, yes? I’ll call again tomorrow.” He quickly ended the phone call before his little sister could object. “You slept pretty long," Shoji said as he joined Yukino in the hallway. “Here, take my arm, I’ll help you,” he smiled.   
Yuki did so and they walked over to the living room. Shoji noticed that Yukino hadn’t even hesitated to accept his help, which made him very happy.   
"Umm, Shoji-san... Before breakfast…"  
"Bathroom got it." They slowly made their way there.  
“S-Sorry for listening to your call...”  
“It’s okay, it was just my youngest sister, Emi.”  
“Youngest? Do you have more siblings?”  
“Yup. I have two sisters: one who’s 11, her name is Atsumi, and Kanako, who’s 18. And my brother Akinobu is 22. They live over in Aoba Ward, my parents own a konbini there.”  
“Such a big family… Emi sounded very cute.”  
“She is, but she’s also a very feisty and demanding six-year-old. She misses me and doesn’t like that I live in Tokyo, but it’s impossible for me to find work there.”  
“What’s your job?”  
“I’m a Cyber Security Consultant and... Um… I basically work in IT… Computer stuff,” he tried to simplify as he noticed Yuki’s confused expression.   
“I see. So you’re smart, huh...”  
“Well, I don’t want to humblebrag, but I would say that I have a good understanding of how certain things work,” he smiled.  
“Maybe. But you can’t be street-smart if you take in a random stranger who could murder you in your sleep…”  
Shoji chuckled. “Come on… You can’t even walk to the bathroom by yourself. And you don’t seem very threatening to me, to be honest… Especially when you’re asleep. You look like a kitten.”  
“Tch.” Yukino blushed. “K-Kittens can bite and scratch… And maybe I have killed someone before, you wouldn’t know that!”  
Now Shoji laughed out loud. “Yeah, right...”  
Yuki clicked his tongue, but at the same time, he had to hold back from grinning.  
“This conversation took a weird turn. Anyhow, what do you want for breakfast? Something soft again, probably... How about tamagoyaki and miso soup?"   
"Sounds good… Thank you."  
"Don't mention it. But that's the scope of my cooking skills. I should look up some recipes later. Ah, by the way… If you're okay with it, how about I help you clean yourself a bit? You were sweating a lot with your fever and all. You'd probably feel better after a good scrubbing and putting on fresh clothes, no?"  
"Oh… Umm… Yeah, I guess so..."   
"I'll be very careful because of the bruises, I promise. You can barely move and it would be too exhausting for you to do it alone."  
"That's not it… But you have to work, right? I’m enough of a burden as it is, and keeping you from working…"  
"It's fine. I worked last night and this morning. My team is busy with something and will call me once they're done this afternoon. Until then, I’ll have time. Use the bathroom, I'll take you back to bed and make breakfast first so you can rest a bit before we wash you."  
They did as Shoji had proposed. After having breakfast, Yuki took his meds and Shoji brought a big bowl of hot water, a towel, and cloth. He helped Yukino undress but left on his underwear. Shoji then wet the cloth and gently and carefully let it slide over Yuki's bruised skin.   
"Does it hurt?"   
"N-No. It feels refreshing."   
"Good. Please let me know if I put on too much pressure."  
Yukino nodded as Shoji wiped his arm. Then he went over to his neck and the parts of his chest that weren't hidden under the big rib belt.  
"I guess we shouldn't take it off yet. But I'll ask the doctor on Thursday when it'll be okay to do so for just a short time. I mean at one point you’ll need to take a real shower."  
Yukino didn't really listen, his heart was pounding too hard in his chest when Shoji moved down to his stomach, then wiped down his legs. He gently patted his skin with a towel and then asked Yuki to lean as far forward as he could, so he could wipe down his back as well.   
Shoji noticed that Yukino's breathing fastened and that he was kind of fidgety.   
"I'm almost done. I'm sorry it's taking so long, you probably feel uncomfortable, but I want to make sure I don't hurt you."  
"I-It's fine, really."  
“Oh, Yukino-kun, I almost forgot! My boss and his partner are going to stop by on Friday to bring over your backpack. I hope that's okay… If you want it sooner, I can see if I can make time to..."  
"No, of course. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."  
"Not at all. Alright, I'm done. You're squeaky clean now. I'll help you put on new clothes and leave the bowl here so you can… take care of… down th-"   
"Okay! Thank you!" Yuki blushed. He usually wasn't shy when it came to his body since he sort of used it as a tool, so he didn't know why he felt so nervous in front of Shoji.   
“Oh, come to think of it… You have nothing to wear! I mean my shirts are fine as pajamas, but everything else is too big on you. You can’t keep walking around with my oversized sweatpants, you probably feel uncomfortable. Hmm…” Shoji stared at Yukino.   
“...What is it?”  
“I’ll be back in a bit. Just continue and leave the bowl on the chair. When you’re done, rest.”   
Yukino nodded, confused, and Shoji left in a hurry. His team would call him soon; he didn’t have much time, but it was the only opportunity he had to go out and buy some clothes. He ran to a nearby department store that he frequently visited. Shoji asked a shop assistant with a build similar to Yukino's to help him find the right clothes and ended up buying two pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants, two pajamas, five pairs of socks and seven pairs of underpants. Shoji had washed and dried Yukino’s underwear, but he wasn’t sure how many he had in his backpack. He also got a stack of different colored shirts and a cardigan. “Ah… I might have overdone it a little bit,” he mumbled defeated when he walked back home with all the stuffed shopping bags.   
He presented Yukino with the clothes. “It’s a lot, I know, sorry about that. But I wasn’t sure how much you have in your backpack or what colors you like. Crap, I hope they fit. If not, I can still go back and exchange or return them. And if there’s anything you don’t like, let me know. You need sweaters too, but the ones they had were all ugly in my opinion, that’s why I bought that cardigan.”  
Yukino stared at the clothes that were spread all over the bed. No one had ever done so much for him. No one had ever been so kind to him. And that man even apologized for it. Yuki couldn’t believe it.   
“Th-Thank you, Shoji-san. I… I don’t know what to say, to be honest...", he mumbled shyly. Showing emotions wasn’t easy for Yuki since he wasn’t used to it, so he was easily overwhelmed when Shoji did things like that.   
"Don’t sweat it. I just hope they fit..." Suddenly, his phone rang. “Ah, sorry.” Shoji collected the clothes real quick and stuffed them back in the bags. “It's from work, I have to take it. Please rest a bit more, I’ll come back later and help you try them on.” He smiled and picked up the call, took the bowl of water and started to walk out. "Yes? ...No, no, what you did was causing mission-critical vortals, Sakamoto. You'll have to go to the hard-wired index to change the linear anomalies… Yes... And as soon as you have started the traffic fusion, you can continue the flux coupling. Hold on a sec..." He turned to Yukino one last time. "Are you going to be okay?"   
"Yes, of course, please take care of your work," Yuki replied. _Unbelievable, just how considerate can one person be_ , he thought. _What a strange guy...  
_ After Shoji had left the first time, Yukino had taken care of his private parts and applied the balm the doc had given him. He was exhausted after every bit he did; just lifting up his glass felt like exercise, so he decided to take a nap.

Some time later, Shoji’s cursing followed by loud clattering noises woke Yukino up.   
"Ah, crap!"   
"Meeew!"   
"Sorry, Sumi!"   
Wondering what was going on, Yuki got out of bed and followed the commotion, eventually discovering the source of it in the kitchen.   
"Shoji-san?"   
"Ah, Yukino-kun, did I wake you up? I'm sorry," Shoji huffed while frantically rushing around. “I'm trying to make dinner, but the recipe I'm using sucks… Or maybe I'm the one who sucks. It was supposed to be a simple dish, but…"  
"Torikatsu and…" Yukino eyed the mess on the kitchen counter to decipher what ingredients he was using. "No… Oyakodon?"   
"Yes! But it's not working out…" He sighed, defeated.  
Yukino suppressed a chuckle, since it was actually a super simple and quick meal, so for him to ruin it… "You're really terrible at cooking, huh?"   
"Don't rub it in, how mean," Shoji whined playfully.   
"I'll help you." Yuki slowly walked over. "Move."  
"You shouldn't…"  
"Is this all you wanted to make?"   
"Um… Yeah…"   
“Okay, let’s begin. We need a really sharp knife. You’ll have to do the most since I can’t really use my right arm, but I’m going to give you instructions.”  
Yukino told Shoji what to do step by step and sat down on a barstool at the counter from time to time to rest a little. To him, it was highly amusing to watch Shoji struggling so hard with such easy tasks. It was the most fun he’d had in a while.   
"Uwaaah, done!" Shoji panted after he finished cleaning up the kitchen. "How are you doing, Yukino-kun?"   
"I'm alright," Yuki lied. He felt tired and was in a lot of pain, but it had been too much fun for him, so he didn’t want to go back to bed.   
"Thank you so much for your help! I really suck…"  
"You do. Just how did you survive until now, Shoji-San?" Yuki asked as they walked over to the sofa to take a break.   
"Meanie! Well… Konbini foods mostly… You sure you're okay?"   
"I am."  
"Yukino-kun…"  
"Y-You can just call me Yukino… If you like…" he blushed.   
"Yukino…" Shoji repeated with a gentle smile. The boy blushed even harder, which made Shoji grin. "If we're dropping the formalities, you can call me Kenjirou..."  
"N-No way! I-Impossible…" Yukino stuttered, flustered. He felt too embarrassed to call him by his first name. Yuki thought that if he did that, he would probably feel flustered every time, and he definitely wanted to avoid that.   
"Okay, okay, you look like you're about to explode," Shoji laughed. "Just drop the 'san' then. Whatever you feel most comfortable with," he smiled, understanding.   
"I-I'm not about to explode," Yuki pouted.   
Shoji chuckled, happy that Yukino talked more and seemed more open now. Like he felt less threatened by his new environment.  _ Jeez, he’s not a cat, Kenji _ , he reminded himself. Sumi had curled up next to the boy who was gently caressing him. It was calming to look at them.   
"Say Yukino, where did you learn how to cook? Did your mom teach you?"   
"No. When I was a child, she always had everything ready when I came home from school. Although when we had Sukiyaki on the weekends, my sister helped our mom prepare the side dishes while I helped my dad with the meat. I felt so manly when he allowed me to work with the hot grill. So silly."  
Shoji noticed how Yukino's expression had changed. He usually looked very shy and intimidated, but now he was wearing a soft expression while he talked about his family.   
"That sounds like a lot of fun."  
"It was. We always had a great time. Neighbors came to visit, and one of them, the mom of my best friend, Takeru, always brought homemade cake... And after we had dinner, the adults would have tea while we kids were playing in my room or outside. There was a lot to discover since we lived in a pretty rural town."  
"Oh, so you're not from here originally? I wondered before if I heard a slight accent, but I wasn't sure…"   
"I grew up in Osaka and lived there until I was ten."  
"Osaka, huh…”   
“Have you been there before?”   
“Unfortunately, I haven’t.”   
“It’s beautiful there…” Yukino said dreamily.   
“But if your mom didn’t, who taught you how to cook then?"   
"I basically taught myself.” Yukino took a deep breath and took a moment to gather his strength for the following words. “Because… On the day of my tenth birthday, my parents and my six-year-old sister died in a car accident. They were on their way to buy cake and pick me up from school afterwards… We wanted to go watch a movie and celebrate with my friends at home afterwards. I was so excited. My dad even took the whole day off from work…”   
“My condolences… I’m deeply sorry. But Yukino-kun, you don’t have to-”   
“No, please! I’ve never talked about it with anyone. I want to talk about it… if you want to listen…”    
Shoji nodded. “Of course, I will listen.”   
Yukino finally felt ready to talk about his past, and he wanted to share it with the man he felt like he could trust. Shoji nodded, so he continued. “That day, right before school was over, I was called to the principal’s office and they told me what had happened. I was allowed to go back home to pack some clothes and was sent to my relatives here in Tokyo right away. Everything happened too fast for me to process. I moved in with my aunt, her husband and their son and daughter. I didn’t know them, but I was grateful that they took me in. As soon as CPS closed my case and didn’t check up on me anymore, they started treating me like trash and I basically became their servant and scapegoat. I was allowed to go to school, but that was the only privilege I had. They moved me from a big room they had prepared to cozy up CPS, to a very small one with no windows. I had a bed though, and a small desk, so that was good. Every morning, I had to get up before everyone else and prepare breakfast for them. I was allowed to have some of it while standing up in the kitchen. Having a meal with the family was taboo. I rushed to school and when I came back home I started doing chores. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, and so on… Everything had to be spotless before they came home, or else…” Yukino swallowed heavily at those memories. “I did my homework at night when everyone was asleep.”   
“You were ten…?”   
“Yeah. Well, it went on like that until I was 14. What I hated them the most for, though, was that I wasn’t allowed to go to my family’s funeral. They had the money for the plane tickets and all. My parents had this life insurance to make sure their children were cared for in case anything happened to them. The lady from Child Protection Services said so. They could have used that money, it wouldn’t even have cost them a single yen... I haven’t been to Osaka in all those years. One day I want to visit their graves and… Anyhow, I digress... My relatives quickly became very physical towards me. Corporal punishments happened almost daily. My cousins blamed everything they messed up on me, so I was the one who got beaten and punished for their bullshit. One time I came back home from school late because I had class duties that took longer than expected, and my cousin had made herself a snack and didn’t clean up afterwards. As soon as I entered the house, my aunt started beating me because I hadn’t cleaned the kitchen. I wasn’t even at home, I had just gotten back, so that made no sense… But she often did that. At night, she often stormed into my bedroom and dragged me out of the bed by my hair and I had to clean the bathroom tiles with a toothbrush because she found a hair or something… Stupid. She always thought of something new to mess with me. She was very creative, but at least her beatings didn’t hurt as much as my cousin’s or my uncle’s. Those cruel bastards… I thought I just had to endure it until I became of age and would be able to move out, but then something happened and I couldn’t take it anymore…” Yukino swallowed. “I couldn’t endure  _ that… _ ” He then took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and scoffed. “Jeez… You asked me how I learned to cook and get a whole character background story instead. But to finally answer your question, I was forced to. My aunt handed me a stack of cooking books and every week she gave me a list of the meals she wanted me to make for them. I looked up the recipes and… that’s how I learned to cook. I was pretty bad in the beginning and never knew if I had pleased them or if I'd get punished after they were done. I remember accidentally using too much salt once… I wasn't able to lay on my back for a few days, but to be honest, seeing them cringe so hard over the saltiness… Their faces… It was so funny."  
Shoji was absolutely shaken by what he had just heard, but he tried his best not to show his emotions too much in order to not make Yukino feel awkward.   
"But cooking and even cleaning became the things I enjoyed the most in the end. Weird, huh? Well… I wasn’t allowed to have any hobbies, so maybe that’s why. It was my only distraction."   
"Was that the house you mentioned? The one you didn't want to return to?"   
Yuki nodded. "To me, they aren't human beings. They're monsters. Running away was liberating in a way, but I'm still scared that they'll find me. I'd rather kill myself than go back to that life. Living outside is tough and I had to do things that I’m not proud of, but anything is better than being at that house."  
Shoji swallowed hard, his heart was throbbing. "How did you manage to get by…?"   
Yukino was hesitant to talk about that part. He didn't want Shoji to think badly of him and feared that he might feel disgusted when he found out that he slept with Eiichi for money.   
“Um… Sometimes I stole food from Konbinis when I ran out of money. B-But I paid it back as soon as I had some. I went back to the stores and just placed the money on the counter when the cashiers weren’t looking and ran off.”  
"How did you earn money, though? Day jobs are hard to find, even for adults…”   
Yukino didn’t answer, but his heart was racing.   
Shoji noticed the boy’s distress. “It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. Maybe one day, if you want. Just know that I won't judge you, no matter what.” He smiled fondly. “Unless... Oh my god, you didn't actually kill someone, did you?"   
"What? N-No! I wouldn’t..."   
Shoji chuckled. "Teasing you is fun."  
"Tch, meanie!"  
"Payback for saying that I suck," he grinned.    
“Shoji-san… Thank you. It’s weird to talk about those things after such a long time. I’m sorry to burden you with this, but you’re the first person I trust after leaving home. I had to leave everyone and everything I was familiar with behind, and from then on everything went downhill. Thanks to you I feel like a person again.”   
Shoji’s heart throbbed. “That means a lot to me. I’m happy to hear that you finally trust me.”   
“You’re not going to take advantage of it and sell my organs or something now, right?”   
“Hmm… Nope, I think I like you better in one piece.”   
“Good,” Yuki smirked, and again, Shoji’s heart skipped a beat.    
“Hey, do you like ice cream?” He tried to change the topic and wanted to cheer Yukino up after that emotional talk.    
Yuki instantly lit up. “Yes, I do! I love ice cream!”    
“Alright, how about we have some while watching a movie?”   
“Umm… Shouldn’t we have dinner first?”   
“But moooom, it’s not dinner time yet, can we please have ice cream before? I promise I’ll eat up later,” Shoji mocked him.    
“Alright son, but only because you’ve been such a good boy during our cooking lesson,” Yukino joined in on the joke. Shoji was surprised since Yukino seemed so earnest all the time.    
“Alright then! You lay down and rest.” He took a blanket and covered Yukino. “And I’ll go prepare the bowls. Which toppings do you like?”   
“Yes!”    
Shoji chuckled. “Okay, got it!” He went over to the kitchen and filled two bowls with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream and several toppings like chocolate and caramel syrup, mini marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, strawberries, cookie crumbs, banana and maraschino cherries and topped everything with a good amount of whipped cream.    
“Whoa, Shoji-san… That looks awesome,” Yukino shouted when he came back and placed the bowl on the boy’s lap.    
“It’s a wild mix, but I thought I’d go all out. You’ve worked hard, Sensei.”   
Yukino smiled brightly at Shoji which made his heart pound in his chest again. Even with his face, all black and blue and swollen, Yuki looked insanely cute.    
He cleared his throat. “Happy you like it. Let’s pick a movie…”    
“Oh, can we watch a Disney movie, please?”   
“Disney?”   
“Yeah… I used to watch those with my sister, and… I always liked them a lot. If it's okay, I mean… we can watch something else if you think it’s childish, though...”   
“I like Disney movies too, so it’s fine.” Shoji smiled and they picked a movie both hadn’t seen. Shoji was highly amused about Yuki’s expressions and gasps throughout the movie. His reactions were too cute and he was excited like a child. Yukino had told him that he hadn’t watched a movie ever since he left Osaka, which was seven years ago, so no wonder he was that hyped, Shoji thought.  _ Seriously, he’s too cute _ . He also thought about what that kid had been through and it made his heart ache, but he understood better now why he had kept his distance from Shoji. Not that he expected them to be all buddy-buddy after he woke up that day after that horrible incident. But now he had earned the boy’s trust apparently, so Shoji was more than happy and he felt honored that Yukino had shared some of his memories with him. While he was deep in thought, his mind started to go blank and he drifted off to sleep.    
It was already dark when Shoji woke up and the movie had ended. Then he noticed that a sound asleep Yukino was snuggled up against him. He was startled, but also happy. Suddenly, a loud growling sound appeared.    
“Mnh… Hungry…” Yukino mumbled.    
“Yukino, we should eat. Are you awake now?”    
The boy nodded sleepily and blinked. When he noticed that he was leaning against Shoji, he quickly sat up and blushed intensely. “Wah, sorry! I fell asleep… I-I’ll go use the bathroom before dinner.” Yuki got up.   
Shoji couldn’t help but giggle. “Take your time, I’ll set the dining table.”    
Yuki nodded. Shoji was only able to see his back when he shut the bathroom door, but the boy’s ears were glowing.   
“I’m doomed,” Shoji mumbled as he got up himself and went to the kitchen.


	6. Old acquaintances and new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments. Every constructive criticism is more than welcome :D   
> Thank you!
> 
> Thank you Bunny <3

The next day, Doctor Nomura visited again and told Yuki that his healing had progressed greatly. He was still restricted from moving too much, but he was given permission to take a shower, which made Yuki very happy. Shoji had awkwardly offered his help, but Yukino kindly declined, blushing. He didn’t even know why he felt so shy since it wasn’t unusual for two men to take a bath together, but somehow he felt weird at the thought of Shoji seeing him completely naked.   
He managed to shower by himself, but he was completely exhausted afterwards. Shoji helped him put on his bandages and Yuki spent the rest of the day in bed, resting.   
  
Finally, it was Friday and Yukino was very excited to finally get his backpack back. He was also nervous to meet Shoji’s boss and his partner. Fortunately, the clothes Shoji had bought him fit great, so he got dressed with his caretaker’s help and they prepared dinner together. They had become a great team, and they were having a lot of fun cooking together when suddenly the doorbell rang.   
Yukino jolted and his heart skipped a beat. "Ah, they're here! Shoji, what if your boss’ girlfriend is appalled by my appearance? My face still looks super gross…" Yuki had thought about it before. Around Shoji, he felt comfortable enough to forget what he looked like, but he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for others to see him. Especially after what happened with the cleaning lady.   
"His girlfriend?" Shoji looked at him puzzled as he pressed the door buzzer.   
"You said he'll bring his girlfriend… What if she…"  
"Oh… No, I said 'partner'... Sorry, I have been a little cryptic, I guess. My boss' partner is a man…" Shoji informed him quickly before he opened the door and greeted the tall blonde man and his slender, rose-blonde companion, who was holding Yuki’s backpack.   
"Welcome, Hikaru-kun and Harada-san. Please, come in," Shoji greeted them. Yukino was a little overwhelmed and froze for a moment.  
The two of them took off their shoes at the genkan and gave Shoji their coats before they entered the living room.   
"Please make yourselves comfortable," Shoji said nervously.  
“Hey, Shoji, why are you acting so formal? Relax,” Harada replied.   
“Well, it’s the first time you two are visiting me, I’m kind of nervous,” he chuckled.   
“No need, your apartment is super stylish,” Hikaru said, smiling.   
Yukino had gotten up from the sofa. "H-Hello, I'm Yukino. Nice to meet you!" He attempted to bow but instantly jolted. "Ngh…"  
"Yukino, are you okay?" Shoji asked and instantly rushed over to support him.   
Yukino nodded shyly. “Sorry…”  
"Hello, Yukino-kun, I'm Harada Howl and this is my partner, Hikaru."  
"You can call me Hiki, nice to meet you. Please take a seat, you're hurting. No need to act so formal around us," the young man sparkled. He had the same kind and warm aura as Shoji, Yukino noticed.   
"O-Okay." Yuki sat down and Shoji's boss took the backpack from his lover and placed it on the floor next to his feet.   
"We picked that up for you the other day. Sorry for forgetting it in my car, but now you finally got it back.”   
"Ah, thank you!" Yukino's eyes widened and he quickly opened it. He took out a white plastic bag and checked it. He sighed relieved as he pressed it against his chest.   
"What's that?" Shoji asked as he brought tea for them.   
"Shoji-san, you've become quite nosy," Yuki teased him.   
"Sorry…" the man blushed and smiled ashamed. Yuki's heart skipped a beat.   
"It’s...It's a family portrait," he briefly replied. "It's my most important possession. Thank you for bringing it." Yukino unwrapped it and looked at it, smiling.   
“What a beautiful family,” Hiki noticed.   
“Thank you. That’s my mom, my dad and my sister Shiori. Well and me.”  
“Whoa, Yukino, you were such a cute kid! Look at those chubby cheeks!”  
“Shoji-san…!” Yuki blushed and wanted to put it back into his backpack, but Shoji stopped him.   
“Hold on… How about we put it on the shelf too?”  
“Hm?”  
“Next to the picture of my family. I mean, you live here currently, so why not? I mean, only if you want to…”  
Yuki thought about it for a moment, and then he nodded. “Okay…”  
Shoji took the frame from him and walked over to the shelf. He carefully placed it next to his own family portrait, turned around to Yuki and smiled. “Is it okay like this?”  
Yukino nodded softly. “It’s perfect…”   
"By the way, how are you feeling, Yukino-kun?" Howl suddenly asked.   
"Thank you for asking. The doctor said that I’m healing well, but it's… probably hard to look at me…"  
"Huh? Yukino, what are you talking about, you're super cute! You have beautiful eyes," Hikaru complimented him.   
Yuki blushed. _Wow, so straight forward_ , he thought, not sure how that struck him.   
“I’ll head to the kitchen to dish up dinner. I’ll let you know when it’s ready,” Shoji announced and left.  
"Your bruises will get better very soon, don't worry. Especially the red in your eyeball, it will faint fast," Hiki added.  
"Are you a doctor too?"   
"Nope, just… experienced, I guess." He smiled warmly.  
"Hikkun, I'll go to the kitchen and help Shoji, he looks like he's about to have a panic attack over the food arrangement." Howl got up, kissed his lover on the forehead and left a fondly smiling Hiki behind.   
Yuki was stunned. So it was true that they were a couple. He knew that he himself was gay, but he had never knowingly met or talked to anyone who was.   
"Ah, sorry," Hiki said as he noticed Yukino's expression. "Did that make you feel uncomfortable? Howl grew up in England and isn’t always considerate of Japanese customs."   
"N-No! Not at all… It’s totally fine."  
"I'm glad," Hiki smiled. **  
**“Dinner is ready!” Shoji, who was setting the dinner table shouted. Hiki got up and offered Yuki his hand to help him.  
“Ah, thanks but I’m fine,” he said and slowly got up from the sofa.  
“Wait, Yukino.” Shoji rushed over to him, took his arm to support him as he always did and led him over to his seat.  
Hiki smirked knowingly.   
The four of them started eating. Hiki and Howl raved about how good the meal was and complimented Shoji.  
“I didn’t really do much, we owe this to Yukino,” he replied.  
“Oh, you like to cook?” Hiki asked excitedly.  
“Yeah, I do.”   
“We have that in common then. I love to cook!”  
“Really?”  
“Yup! I always cook for Howl and baking is a passion of mine, too!”  
“I’m not so good at that,” Yuki confessed.   
“Maybe I can help you get better at it. I could teach you how to make my special chocolate chip cookies. Howl loves those. Right, Howl?”  
His lover nodded. He wasn’t very talkative, but he didn’t seem to hate being there either, Yukino noticed.  
“S-Sure, thanks.”  
“Is there anything else you like to do?”  
“Mh… I like cleaning… I guess…”  
“Me too, actually,” Hiki giggled. “But I mean as a hobby. Do you have any interests?”  
Yukino thought about it for a moment as he was chewing and after he swallowed he answered: “Back home, I liked to draw. When I was younger. I think I was quite good at it, but later on… I didn’t really get the chance to. As a kid I used to just lie on the carpet in the living room and draw random anime characters I saw on TV. My mom always encouraged and supported me. She got me all kinds of pencils, coal sticks, and all sorts of drawing tools so I could test out which ones I felt most comfortable with. But I wasn’t able to keep those things when I moved here.”   
“Do you think you would go back to drawing one day?”  
“Maybe… If I get the chance... “  
“Oh, you could go back to school and become a graphic designer or something, if you practice and study hard enough…” Hiki suggested enthusiastically.   
“It was my parents’ dream that I would go to Uni one day. They both were highly educated. My mom was a Math and English teacher and my dad was a chemist. I wanted to work hard and become like them…”  
“It’s not too late,” Shoji chimed in.   
“Wow, impressive. A teacher and a scientist. You’re probably super smart too,” Hiki smiled.   
Yukino blushed. “I-I don’t know… I dropped out of school when I was 14. But my grades were good…”  
“I’m sure there’s a way for you to still graduate. Don’t give up,” Hiki cheered him on.   
Yukino nodded. He was thankful for the encouragement; they meant well, but he wasn’t very optimistic about his academic future. After his little contract with Shoji ended and he was well enough, he would have to go back to his life on the streets until he was at least 20 and get his inheritance. He would have to find a job to get back on his feet and all. There would be no time and no money for school…  
Yukino picked at his food the rest of the time the others were eating. He didn’t feel hungry anymore and just listened to the conversation the three men had. He felt quite exhausted, the cooking and all had definitely taken a toll on his body.   
After the meal, they retreated to the sofa and had snacks and tea. Hiki and Shoji told the story of how they had met. Yukino was impressed by Hiki’s act of kindness and found it helpful to understand Shoji’s motive for helping him. He probably wanted to pass on the kind gesture to someone else.   
At one point, Hiki had given Yuki his phone number and asked for his in return with the promise that they would stay in contact. Yukino felt awkward using Eiichi’s phone for that, but he liked Hiki a lot and wanted to stay in touch with him.   
Whilst the three of them were talking about all sorts of topics, Yukino’s thoughts were spiraling. _I’m probably just a charity case for him. It could have been anyone, not like he’s helping me because it’s me. Am I expecting him to like me? To become my friend? Tch, as if I’m worthy of being friends with someone like him. He’s way too kind. And so is Hikaru. But does he like me? Or does it even matter, since all of this is temporary anyway? It will end soon. And once I’m gone, they will all forget about me._ _This is why it’s bad to let people close to you, idiot,_ he scolded himself. At one point, he became tired of his own thoughts.   
“Shoji…” Hiki suddenly whispered, pointing to Yuki.   
“Oh… He fell asleep. It was a tough day after all, even though he was acting as if he’s alright. His body is still weak. I’ll take him to bed real quick.”  
“We have to leave anyway. Thank you for the amazing food. Please tell Yukino too, yes?”  
“Will do, Hikaru-kun. Thank you for coming.” Shoji got up and escorted them to the door.   
“He’s a cutie. And he has a very gentle heart, I really like him. Take good care of him, Shoji, okay,” Hiki grinned and winked.   
“Um… sure,” Shoji scratched his head, flustered.   
After their guests left, he picked up the sleeping Yukino and carried him over to his bed, carefully took off his pants and socks and tucked him in.   
“Good night, Yukino. Sleep well.” He smiled as he caressed the boy’s head, whose tense expression immediately softened, and left to go to bed himself. **  
**  
The days passed and Yukino started to feel noticeably better. Shoji still stayed at home during most of the week, but sometimes he had to go to the office. On those days Yukino was bored to no end. He wasn’t a TV person, he only watched movies and shows with Shoji, he also wasn’t really into books, and even though he liked manga, Shoji didn’t have any. So he ended up roaming around the apartment, doing light housework that tired him nonetheless, and in the end, he went back to bed or got comfortable on the sofa and lazed around. He hated being alone, even though it had never bothered him in the past. At the hellhouse, he preferred being alone for obvious reasons, and on the streets, he chose to stay by himself because it was easier. So he asked himself if he really hated being alone, or if he just hated the fact that Shoji wasn’t there.  
Yukino tried his hardest to keep a distance between the two of them since he would have to leave his current life behind again soon. He didn’t want to develop any feelings towards Shoji, except for gratitude, but that man’s character made it nearly impossible for anyone not to like him, Yukino thought. Everything was just more enjoyable with him, and even the most trivial things, like having a meal together or just sitting in the same room as him, made Yuki happy. The teenager was trapped in a roller coaster of emotions. He liked Shoji, but he didn’t want to. He enjoyed that life and loved the apartment and his room, but he felt like he shouldn’t. He had to constantly remind himself that he would have to go back to his old life at one point and that thought became scarier and scarier with every day that passed. Not because he was afraid of being homeless again, he had gotten used to that. But he would lose Shoji and Sumi...   
Suddenly, while Yukino was cleaning the dishes, his buzzing phone pulled him out of his thoughts. The display didn’t show Shoji’s or Hikaru’s name as he had hoped. It was Eiichi. He quickly picked up the call, his anxiety level immediately rising. “Y-Yes?”  
“Tomorrow’s the day. Are you gonna be there? Or do I have to find a new toy?”  
Yuki was stunned. Had it been three weeks already? Half of his time with Shoji had already passed? “I… I don’t know…”  
“What do you mean you don’t know?! Are you trying to make a fool out of me, boy?!”   
Eiichi was unusually aggressive and loud. Sure, he wasn’t exactly a gentleman in general and never had a kind word for him, but he had never yelled at Yuki before.   
“Eiichi, you’re scary. I don’t want to meet with you if you’re going to be this aggressive. It hurts enough as it is...”   
“If it still hurts after all this time, that’s your fault.”  
“My fault...?”  
“Listen, I haven’t gotten the chance to blow off some steam in a while, and that is definitely your fault! My wife’s a frigid bitch but demands money for her and the damn kids all the time, they all just want, want, want, no one gives a shit about me! And all I want is to have a good fuck to get rid of all the tension. I can use _your_ ass or someone else’s, your decision. You don’t need my money anymore, or what…?”  
“No, I… I do…” Yuki thought about how things would be in three weeks and that he would have to make a living somehow. _Nothing has changed_ , he thought. _My life is exactly the same… I’m just… on vacation…_ “I’ll be there. Same place?”  
“Good boy. Yes, same place, same time as usual. It’ll take the whole weekend, you better make up for this dry period.” Eiichi hung up right after saying that.   
Feeling utterly defeated, Yukino finished the dishes, walked over to the sofa to lie down and sighed, depressed. He would have to tell Shoji that he would leave over the weekend, and Yukino wasn’t exactly looking forward to that. He was tired of everything, even of his own thoughts.   
  
“I’m back,” Shoji belted as he entered the apartment. “Yukinooo? Are you in your room…?”  
“I’m here… So noisy...” Yuki sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes.   
“Oh, sorry. Hey, did you nap on the sofa without a blanket? Tch, you’re gonna catch a cold again, idiot.”  
“I accidentally fell asleep… Hey, I’m not a kid anymore…”   
“Sometimes you act like one, though.”  
“Look who’s talking.”  
“Well, can’t argue about that. Anyhow, I have a surprise for you, look!” Shoji grinned while pushing a wheelchair into the living room.   
“The heck’s that for? I can walk perfectly fine…” Yuki said, perplexed.  
“You and I are going to take a little trip to the mall. You can’t walk that long without the risk of worsening your condition again. And why risk anything if we can use this? Plus, you’re still in pain but I want it to be fun for you. So shut up, don’t complain, get dressed and hop in.”  
“No way. Where did you even get it from? Don’t tell me you bought it!”  
“I have a friend who’s in a wheelchair and she recently got a new one, but kept her old one as a spare. She lent it to us. Don’t be a dick and ruin my surprise, just play along okay?”  
“I’m not a dick…” Yuki pouted.   
“Good. Now hurry, it’s getting late. I’m also hungry, so let’s grab a bite while we’re there. I’m craving fast food.”  
“Okay, okay.” Yukino got up and went to his room to get changed. He didn’t complain as he sat down on the chair, but he felt very awkward. Although he knew he still got easily exhausted, it was weird. Thinking about it, he had no idea how he would hold up during the weekend with Eiichi. That man had a biting fetish and never held back in any way. Usually, Yuki ended up covered in bite marks that lasted for days. Would he hold back this time and not torment his already bruised body even more? _Probably not_ , he thought and tried to mentally prepare for the pain. He would talk to Shoji about it once they got back home.   
  
They took a taxi to the mall because it was more convenient. Shoji was in high spirits as they strolled down the path.   
“Shoji-san, where are you taking me…?”  
“Not gonna tell,” he lilted. “But we’re already there anyway.”  
Yukino looked at the sign above the store in front of them. “It’s… It’s an art shop? Why are we…”  
“What, you don’t remember? Tch. When Hikaru and Harada-san were visiting us, you talked about how you loved to draw as a kid. I hadn’t really had the time to take you here yet, you know how busy things were, but now I'm finally able to.”  
“To do what, exactly?”  
“Isn’t it obvious? To stock up on art supplies. I want you to pick whatever you want. Go wild. I was thinking about coming here by myself and buying stuff to surprise you, but I know absolutely nothing about art, so I thought this would be much better. And it’s more fun for you to pick out the stuff yourself,” he smiled.   
Yuki was stunned. “I… Um… That’s very generous of you, Shoji-san, but I can’t accept this. It’s too much. Art supplies are expensive.”  
“Yukino, listen… I have no hobbies. Except for computers and movies, I have no interests. I really want to do this for you because I think it’s great to have a hobby and a talent. And I’m curious, I want to see your art. I want to support you in this because it’s something that will make you feel better.”  
“Thank you, but it’s seriously not a cheap hobby…”  
“So? You don’t have to worry about my money.”  
“But you want to spend it on me, so of course-”  
“Take it as a birthday gift then.”  
“My birthday is in December… It’s October now…”  
“Shut up, it’s an early gift, let’s go inside,” Shoji said, and pushed the wheelchair inside the store. He aimed for the pencil section first. “You said pencils and watercolors, right? Any specific brands?”  
“I don’t remember… Oh, I think it was these that my mom had bought me…” He pointed to one of the shelves and Shoji handed him the biggest package of colored pencils.   
“Are these fine?”  
“...So many…”  
“Well, you’ll need them, no? What if you need a particular color and you don’t have it? Or like a certain shade of green… I don’t half-ass things, I want you to be prepared. Also, it would be a pain to come back here all the time, so let’s just do it properly from the start, shall we?”  
Yukino nodded humbly.   
“Alright, let’s look for lead pencils too, and watercolors. Oh, and paper of course. And whatever else you need. Erasers, sharpeners… What about ink?”  
“I… I’ve never tried that…”  
“Well, do you want to?”  
He nodded softly again.   
“Great, let’s get ink and a quill. Maybe they have starter sets or something… You know what? Let me ask someone who works here to help us, give me a sec,” Shoji mumbled and walked off to find an employee. Yukino sat in the chair and looked around. There were so many sorts of pens, pencils, quills, color tubes, pots, little gadgets and garnishments for crafting like beads and little bows, wires, glitter tubes, modeling clay, even the paper came in all kinds of shades. It smelled like paper, acrylic paint and wood from all the pencils. It was almost overwhelming and Yukino felt inspired just by looking at the variety of goods.   
Shoji quickly came back with a middle-aged, friendly smiling woman who was wearing glasses with a dainty golden frame.   
“Hello young man, your friend told me that you want to start drawing again after a long break. Did you get kissed by a muse?” She giggled. “I will do my best to help you. I see, you already picked out some colored pencils, that is a very good choice you made there. The brand is very high quality and the pigmentation is excellent. That is also a very wide range of colors, you’re going to be very well prepared. Now, what else do we need, hmm…” She wandered through the aisles, followed by Shoji and Yuki, suggesting different supplies. Yukino just nodded or shook his head at the items she held up, but Shoji noticed the sparkle in his eyes and the excitement in his expression. The woman’s enthusiasm over the goods seemed to affect Yukino. At one point, Shoji had gotten a cart and they filled it up with all sorts of things. When they were done, the woman suggested getting some storage boxes to keep everything assorted neatly, so that his desk wouldn’t look too messy.   
“Oh,” Shoji said. “I guess you’ll need a desk… I didn’t even think about that,” he chuckled.   
That’s when it dawned on Yukino. There would be absolutely no way to carry all those things around with him after he left Shoji’s place. This was just a massive waste of time and money.  
“Sh-Shoji…san... Um, I don’t feel well. Can we go back, please?”  
“Oh, sure! It was a bit too much after all despite using the wheelchair, huh. Let’s pay and head back home.”  
 _Home, he said… But it’s his home, not mine._ “No, let’s go now. Please. I feel nauseous from the smell in here. I want to lay down. Now.” Yukino felt like crying. He didn’t want Shoji to buy those things in vain, so he tried to pressure him to leave. He got up and slouched over to the door.   
“Yukino, wait! What has gotten into you all of a sudden?” Shoji turned around and mumbled something to the woman. Yukino assumed he was apologizing, and then he followed after him. _Thank goodness_ , he thought.   
“Yukino, I really don’t know what’s gotten into you all of a sudden, but please sit down. We’ll leave right away, I promise.”  
Yuki did as he was asked and they left the mall.  
  
“How do you feel now?” Shoji asked after they entered the apartment.   
“Better,” Yukino answered briefly without making eye contact.   
“We didn’t have dinner, wanna order in?” Shoji had no idea what was going on with Yukino and was quite worried. He sat down on the sofa, while Yukino was just standing there in the middle of the room.  
“Shoji-san, I need to talk to you…”  
“Do you want to explain your weird behavior? Because you seemed fine to me… What was that all about?”  
Yukino blushed. “I’m sorry for how I behaved at the store, but that’s not what I want to talk about. I… I have to be somewhere over the weekend. I know that I promised to stay until I’m fully healed, but I _have_ to go. I will return on Sunday though, I give you my word.”  
“If you really go, your word means nothing anymore. Because that means you’re going to break a promise and who tells me you won’t do it again?”  
Yukino’s heart throbbed. He was right. “It can’t be helped, though. I really have to go.”  
“Where to?”  
“I have to meet up with someone. I would prefer not to go into details, to be honest. It’s private.”  
Shoji didn’t say anything. He just stared at him with an expression full of concern, but Yukino thought he looked angry. He became nervous and fidgety. He felt like he owed that man to be honest. And he would have to leave Shoji soon anyway, so what did it matter if he was disgusted by Yukino. Maybe, if Shoji told him how low he thought of him after his confession, saying goodbye would hurt less, so he caved. “Jeez, okay… There’s this client I have…”   
“A client?”  
“I didn’t want to tell you about this, because it’s something I’m not very proud of, but I don’t want to lie to you. Shortly after I became homeless, I met this man. He’s a businessman and… Well, he ended up paying me to sleep with him. I… I felt like I had no other choice. It was freezing outside and I was sleep-deprived and scared and... and... this thing has been going on for three years now. Just occasionally, but his money has saved me multiple times. Anyhow, he wants to see me this weekend, and I have to go. I have to, whether I want to or not. I’ll have to go back to my old life soon, so I’ll need the money and I can’t risk losing a source of income.”  
“But you have everything you need right here. You don’t have to go...”  
“Well… I can’t just give this up. I can’t find day jobs easily and I’ll have to survive after I go back. I have to see him, period.”  
“But you won’t need his money if-”  
“Oh, so you want to give me tips about how to survive on the street just because you were homeless for a few months? I _do_ need his money! Do you think I would do something like _that_ with someone like _him_ if there was another way?”  
“You’re an idiot, Yukino.”  
“Huh? _You’re_ the idiot here!”   
“You didn’t even let me finish… Alright, you know what? If you want to go and mess around with that guy so badly, fine. Do it.” Shoji got up and walked over to the door that led to their bedrooms, he was obviously very irritated. “But if you go, don’t come crawling back crying, Mister There’s-no-other-way.”  
Yukino’s blood froze. He was utterly shocked by those words coming from Shoji. _Don’t come back, he said…_   
“F… Fine, I won’t! You… You’re an asshole, you know that?!” Yukino teared up.   
“And you’re an idiot who doesn’t get anything.” Shoji left the room, went to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.  
“UGH!” Yuki was so frustrated, he couldn’t even bring himself to form a proper sentence. He stormed out too, stomped into his room, slammed the door as well, laid down on the bed and cried. _Don’t come back_ , _he said_. _So that’s it…? This is the end?_ Yukino had known that he wouldn’t be able to be with Shoji forever, but it hurt more than he had expected. Hadn’t he tried to shut off his heart so he wouldn’t end up like this? _Alright… I won’t come back. This will be my last night here._ As he processed those thoughts, Yukino’s throat felt like it was closing up and he tried to suppress the loud sobs that were trying to find their way out. _It will be fine. I will be fine. It’s just going to be like before. I’m used to this._  
  


The next morning, Yukino woke up to an empty apartment. It was Friday, so Shoji was at the office. Yuki was glad that he wouldn’t have to face him. He greeted Sumi and was about to feed him one last time when he saw that Shoji had already done so. He sighed and as he turned around to leave the kitchen, he noticed a sheet of paper on the countertop, with a key and some money lying on it. “Huh…?” Yuki took the letter and read.   
_Yukino, I’m so sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean it. I guess I was just hurt because you declined my offer to move in with me. I can’t make you stay if you don’t want to, I shouldn’t have been so mean, I’m really sorry. Please take the key to my apartment and come back once you’re_ _done with work. Take a taxi there and back, that’s what the money's for! I hope it will be enough. I’ll be waiting on Sunday with a big bowl of ice cream and all the toppings ready. Shoji._  
“Idiot,” Yuki said out loud as he stared at the key and the money. “Wait… Hold on a second… Move in? Did he say that last night?” Weird, Yuki didn’t remember Shoji ever mentioning anything remotely similar to that. “Am I stupid? Did he say that? Sumi, did he ask me to move in? When?! I would’ve noticed if he did, right…?”   
The cat just looked at him, bored.   
“You’re not helping, Sumi! Crap... I’m sure he didn’t say anything about moving in…

Yukino was utterly confused when suddenly, his phone rang. It was Eiichi.  
  
Around seven in the evening, Shoji arrived back home. The apartment was dark, so he turned on the lights, dropped his briefcase at the entrance, slouched over to the sofa and slumped down. “I’m home…” he mumbled depressed.   
“Mew!” Sumi greeted his human and jumped on his lap.   
“Hey, Sumi. How was your day, hm?” Shoji scratched his cat’s chin.  
“Meew…” he replied and started purring.  
“I see. Mine was miserable.” Shoji looked around. “He really left, huh. It feels so cold and empty here without him. It's weird how much he grew on me already… I wish he would stay, but I can’t make him, right, Sumi-kyun?”  
“Meew” the cat answered.   
“Thought so. But I hope he comes back on Sunday, so at least we’ll have a bit more time together… Until he’s healed...” Shoji sighed deeply and got up to feed his cat when he suddenly heard the front door unlock.   
“Sumi-chan, I’m back! I brought you the tuna I promised you… Ah, Shoji-san, you’re home already? I wanted to cook something for dinner, you’re too early... Wah!”   
Shoji had rushed over to Yuki while he took off his shoes and coat and hugged him tightly. Yukino’s heart skipped a beat and he blushed. “Sh-Shoji-sa…?”  
“I’m glad you didn’t go… So, so glad...”  
Yukino’s face felt hot. “Sh-Shoji-san… It hurts…” he said with a muffled voice, his face pressed into the man’s chest.   
“Oh, I’m sorry! You’re still bruised… I’m just so relieved. What changed your mind?”  
“Well, it’s because of your letter… I can’t remember you mentioning anything about ‘moving in’ yesterday.” The red shade of his face intensified.   
“...Come on, we need to talk.” Shoji grabbed Yukino’s hand, dragged him over to the sofa and they sat down. “Yukino, I told you that you didn’t have to go… So wasn’t it obvious that I wanted you to move in?”  
“What?! How the hell was that obvious, you weirdo?! How was I supposed to read that into ‘don’t go’? You told me you didn’t want me to go see Eiichi, not that you wanted me to move in… Shoji-san, do you really mean it?”  
“To me, that’s pretty obvious, but okay. And yes, I do. It would mean a lot to me.”  
“B-But why? I mean, I get that you took me in because you felt obligated to pass on Hikaru’s good deed, but to ask your charity case to move in with you… Isn’t that a bit extreme?”  
“Wow… How dense can you be? Isn’t it obvious?”  
“Shoji-san…” Yukino growled, annoyed. “I don’t think you really understand the concept of obviousness...”  
“Or… You’re just dense. But okay, yes, at first that was definitely the case. I wanted to help you because I knew you needed someone to do so. But very soon I… I got used to you being around…”  
“Really… That’s the reason? You got _used to me_?”  
“Well… I like…” Shoji cleared his throat, flustered. “I like... having you around. And Sumi likes you too.”  
“I see…” Yuki smirked.   
“So, would you like to move in with us?”  
“I don’t know, to be honest. See, I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking advantage of your good will and your generosity. I can’t even get a real job before I turn 20 in three years and part-time jobs don’t pay enough to afford to live in such an apartment, even if it’s shared, and that's if I can even find one. And there’s no way that I’m going to be a freeloader…”  
“Hmm, I kind of expected you to say something like that. I wanted to ask you to stay anyway, but a bit later. I came up with this idea the other day, but I had to think it through first. Didn’t you wonder why I wanted to get you all that art stuff if I’d think you’d leave soon? I mean, I’m not stupid, I know you can’t take it with you.”  
“I realized it at the store… That it would be a waste to buy it. That’s why I wanted to leave before you paid because I didn’t want you to spend all that money in vain…”  
“So that’s why you were acting all weird? Tch. My plan was to ask you to stay as a live-in housekeeper. Because I noticed that you did some chores here and there, so I thought since I wanted to hire someone new anyway, why not ask you if you want the job. And I don’t use the room you’re staying in anyway, so…”  
“Th-That’s… That makes sense, Shoji-san! I’m impressed!”  
“Hey…” Shoji glared at him playfully. “Anyhow, I’ve worked on something and it’s not done yet, but the raw version will do, I guess. It’s why I haven’t asked you to move in yet, I wanted to finish this first.” Shoji got up, walked over to his briefcase and pulled out a bundle of paper. Then he sat back down next to Yuki.   
“What is this?”  
“It’s a contract with the terms of our living arrangement. The rules are as follows. You will work as a live-in housekeeper, which includes all of the housework and cooking. In return, shelter and food will be free. Plus, you will be granted a weekly payment of $150.”  
“Shoji-san, that’s too much…”  
“No, it’s not, now shush and let me continue. Another condition will be that you will complete your schooling. You will get your high school degree so that you can apply to a university. Maybe even one that specializes in art. I told the lady at the art store to keep the cart as it was so that I can go back tomorrow and pick up your stuff.”  
Yukino was speechless. So that’s what he had said to her. He stared at Shoji with his eyes and mouth agape and suddenly started tearing up.   
“Ah… I’m sorry… Shoji, I… I don’t know how to thank you…” he stuttered as he wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his sweater repeatedly. “It’s too much, but I’m also so thankful,” he sobbed, overflowing with gratitude.  
“It’s fine. Trust me, if I couldn’t do this, I wouldn’t. But I can, so I will. It’s as simple as that. And it makes it even better and more enjoyable if you just accept it. Be happy, because that’s what you deserve. And once you’ve become a graphic designer or something like that, you can take me on a nice little vacation,” he grinned. “Maybe Hawaii or something.”  
Yukino nodded, covering his face with his sweater. “I’m so gonna do that, promise!” He looked at Shoji. “You know, it’s hard for me to deal with this new situation. There have been and will be so many changes in my life… Shoji-san, you’re treating me with so much kindness and respect, taking care of me and helping me. I’m so sorry if I was disrespectful or rude sometimes… I don’t deserve it, but please keep being patient with me...”  
“Yukino, listen to me closely. You’ve never been disrespectful or rude, just distant which is understandable. You’re just a teenager, after all, and you’ve been through hell and back multiple times in your young life. But we’re together almost 24/7 and I can tell by now that you’re a very sweet, gentle and kind person. You don’t take advantage of me and you don’t take anything for granted. You treat Sumi with so much love, and he, who hates humans, rarely leaves your side. You’re funny and you also get a joke, I don’t have to handle you with velvet gloves. I can be straightforward without you getting offended, I really appreciate that. You’re a fun person to be around, even after all you’ve been through. You didn’t let that turn you into a bitter mope, which I would totally understand if it did. But you never forgot how to smile.”  
Yuki was stunned. “Is… Is that what you really think about me?”  
“Yes. I wouldn’t go to this extent of helping someone if that someone turned out to be a dick, trust me. I wouldn’t do this for just anyone.”  
“Shoji-san… That means so much, thank you.” Yukino was over the moon to hear those words from him. “But to be honest, _you’re_ the one who taught me how to smile again. And you’re the one who taught me that there are still good people in this world. You, Hiki, Harada-san… Shoji-san, you literally restored my will to live. That night, when those crooks beat me to a pulp so that old guy could have his way with me, I wanted to die. I was praying for it. I felt so humiliated and I was in so much pain… But then, you appeared...”  
“So it wasn’t one of them who did it?”  
“No… It was a businessman who mistook me for a prostitute. I felt sick that day and was on my way to a hotel to sleep off my cold. He walked up to me and started molesting me. When he groped my butt, I lost it and pushed him. He didn’t take my reaction well... A few minutes later he came back with those low-lives he picked up around the corner. I still can’t believe that he just walked up to some random crooks on the street to hire them… Just like that… What a psycho. He paid them to beat me up, so that I’d become an easier target. He wanted to teach me a lesson…” Yukino shuddered.   
Suddenly, Shoji reached out and closed his arms around him in a gentle hug. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”  
“I… I just had hoped that something like that would never happen again after my cousin did it to me.”  
“Come again…?” Shoji let go of Yuki and stared at him in shock.   
“That was the reason I ran away. It wasn’t because of the abuse. He came to my room one night when I was 14 and… raped me... I thought it was only that one time, but because he hurt me, he waited for a week before he did it again. He didn’t wait for my sake, he said he just didn’t want blood on him. After that, I decided that I couldn’t endure it. It was just too much. And although I was scared, I ran away. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere ever, so I didn’t even know my way around the city… It was scary…” Yuki paused and took a deep breath. “Anyhow, seeing what my life has become now, is absolutely surreal to me. I’m so lucky, Shoji-san. Thank you so much for everything!” Yukino smiled brightly. His eyes were red and swollen, but it was the most beautiful thing Shoji had ever seen and his heart skipped a beat.  
“You’re truly amazing, Yukino…” he said and reached for a tissue on the coffee table to help the boy with his runny nose when he noticed something. “Huh…? Why is there a glass of water with a phone in it on the table?”  
“That… Well, Eiichi called and when I told him that I wouldn’t go, after all, he started yelling at me and he said really mean things, so I hung up. But he kept calling and I got annoyed, so I dumped it in my water,” he explained nonchalantly.   
“Of course… I mean, turning it off obviously wasn’t an option for some reason, so dumping it in your glass of water makes absolute sense…”  
“Oh yeah… I could have just done that, huh…” Yuki giggled and Shoji’s heart throbbed at that sound. _Ah, he’s just too cute, he thought._  
“Weirdo. Alright, you should sign our contract now… Only if you want, of course...” he smiled fondly.   
Yuki returned his smile and nodded softly. “I do.”   
It was as if all of Yukino’s hopes and wishes had become true. A home, new friends and peace... It was as if those miserable times had been a trial he had finally overcome. And the best part was that he was able to stay with Shoji.


	7. Blossoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoji and Yuki's relationship is developing! But in which direction?

Time went by fast and with his health steadily improving, Yukino was able to be more active, and with the declining pain level, his mood improved as well. It had been very tiring for him to be in constant pain and he was sick of sleeping so much because of it. Eight weeks after Shoji had taken him in, Doctor Nomura declared that the boy was fully recovered, and removed the cast on his wrist and his rib bandage.    
“Haa, I’m free,” Yuki rejoiced.    
“You are, but please still be careful for at least two more weeks. You told me last time that you want to start drawing and you can do that now, but don’t overexert your wrist, okay,” he urged him.   
“I’ll keep an eye on him, doc,” Shoji assured him.    
“I promise to be careful,” Yuki smiled.    
“And you’re going to stay here, Yukino-kun?”   
“Yes, Shoji-san asked me to move in.”   
“I’m happy to hear that. The two of you have become pretty close in the past two months, huh,” the doctor grinned.   
Yuki and Shoji blushed simultaneously.    
“Well… Kind of…”   
“I-I guess…” they stuttered flustered.    
Both had developed deep feelings for one another, but Yukino wasn’t sure how to deal with those strange and unfamiliar emotions. He thought it was just a very strong feeling of friendship, although he couldn’t recall that he ever felt like that towards his friends back in Osaka. But he was a teenager now, so he assumed that friendship might just feel different as people become older.   
And Shoji was aware of his feelings towards Yukino, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him even more since he was still adjusting to a normal lifestyle. Telling the boy how he felt about him might also ruin their relationship, he thought. There was no need for him to confess, he was happy enough with how things were between them. Yukino had opened up to him and trusted him. They enjoyed spending their time together and that was all that mattered to Shoji.   
Since his body was almost back to normal, Yukino diligently fulfilled his household duties. He loved and appreciated his new home, especially his own room and the small balcony next to it, where he often had his coffee breaks and watched people following their everyday life.    
He also had become very close with Hiki, and they frequently talked or texted on the phone. And even though Hiki was very busy with his University studies, they met for lunch at least once a week on a day when Shoji was at the office, or Yuki went to visit Hiki and they would cook or bake together. Since their condominium was in the same building as Howl’s company, the four of them then had dinner together after Shoji and Howl were done with work, and Yuki went back home with Shoji afterwards. Next to Yuki’s roommate, Hiki was his first real friend since he was a kid and he was more than happy that they were so like-minded and got along great. And although he treasured him, it was a different feeling of friendship than what he felt towards Shoji, but Yukino decided that it was simply due to the fact that Shoji had basically saved his life, so of course, he would have stronger feelings for him.   
  
One afternoon, Shoji took him on a little shopping trip for some decorations, like plants and a carpet, to make his room cozier and to give it a more personal touch. They used the opportunity to buy a beautiful big desk for Yuki’s drawing sessions. He was finally able to start drawing. It had been almost torturing to look at all the utensils every day without being able to use them because of his broken wrist. To his surprise, his first picture wasn’t as bad as he had expected.    
“Shoji-san, wanna see?” He had taken it to the living room where Shoji was lazing around on the sofa, watching a TV show.   
“Oh yes, show me!” He sat up and Yukino handed him the paper sheet. “You drew Sumi! Wow, it looks fantastic!”   
“He was lying on my bed and looked so cute, I decided to draw him. You really think it looks okay?”   
“Yukino, you know I’m very honest and blunt. If I didn’t like it, I would tell you. In a nice way, but I wouldn’t lie to you, I promise! It looks great! I mean I’m not an expert or anything, but I can tell that you’re very talented.”   
“Thank you...” Yukino blushed. “I decided to go with a realistic style instead of a comic style. But I need to practice a lot more, I’m not really satisfied with the outcome.”   
“I understand, but it’s enough for today. Think about your wrist and what the Doc said.”   
“Yessir! Can I join you then?”   
“Sure, come sit,” Shoji patted the spot next to him.    
“Oh wait, how about I make us some popcorn?”   
Shoji’s eyes widened.   
“I’ll take that as a yes. Caramel, salty or sweet?”   
“Caramel, please! The one you made last weekend was super tasty!”   
“Gotcha, I’ll be right back,” Yuki smiled and went to the kitchen.    
They spent the evening binge-watching a comedy show and snacking on the freshly made, warm popcorn.    
Yuki practiced his drawing skills every day and became better and better. He started working with more techniques and just as he thought, he still liked pencils and watercolors the most.    
Everything was going great until a couple of weeks later when an upcoming event dampened Yukino’s mood.    
  
“...kino? Yukino? Hey, are you listening?”    
“Oh, sorry, Shoji-san, I was just thinking of something. What is it?”   
“Well, I think the meat is burning…”   
“WAH! Why didn’t you say something?” Yuki quickly took the pan off the stove.    
“But I just did… What’s wrong? You seem a bit off lately. And I’ve never seen you so absent-minded during cooking, you’re normally super focused…”   
“It’s nothing. Can you set the table, please?”   
Shoji glared at him, but since Yuki ignored him, he just did as he was asked.    
The next day, Yuki accidentally slept in and when he got up, Shoji had already made breakfast, eaten, and had retreated to his room for work.    
“Dammit…” he muttered, frustrated with himself, and ate alone before working on his chores. While he was cleaning, he kicked over the bucket, which caused him to flood the whole kitchen. Then he dropped a plate while washing the dishes, and accidentally dyed all their white shirts pink because he put red underpants in the washer with them. 

Sighing in defeat, he dropped down on the sofa. “Jeez, what a day…”   
“Yukino, we need to talk,” Shoji suddenly appeared next to him, and made him jump out of surprise.    
“Wah! Dammit, you startled me.”   
“Because your head was in the clouds again. Where is your mind going all the time? It’s so unusual for you,” Shoji asked as he sat down next to him. “And you’re normally not that clumsy either, so what’s going on?”   
“It’s n-”   
“Don’t ‘it’s nothing’ me again, you keep saying that and it’s clearly not true. I mean, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine, but don’t tell me you’re fine when you obviously aren’t. Please just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you, okay?”   
Yuki’s heart throbbed. He felt guilty because he made Shoji worry. That was definitely the last thing he wanted.    
“It’s just… My birthday… It’s on the 13th.”   
“Huh? Really? That’s in two weeks, why didn’t you say anything, we’ll have to celebrate! We’re going to go out, what do you want to do? How about we go to the movie theater and have dinner at a nice restaurant afterwards? Crap, I don’t even have a gift! And we need a cake!”   
Yukino couldn’t help but tear up.    
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, why are you sad? Don’t cry…!” Shoji caressed Yuki’s back. “Please talk to me, Yukino…”   
“Shoji-san…” Yuki sniffled. “Remember a while back when I told you about my family… and the circumstances of how they passed...?”   
Shoji tried to recall. He remembered that Yukino talked about his relatives and how they treated him. He had told him how he learned how to cook and… Then it dawned on him.  Yukino’s parents and his sister died in a car crash on his birthday. They wanted to buy a cake and pick him up to go to the movies…   
“Oh no… Yukino, I’m so sorry! Everything I just said must have been like a punch in the face. Dammit, I can’t believe how insensitive I was...”   
“No, you meant well, it’s just that I hate that day. I keep replaying what happened back then over and over in my head. I can’t think of anything else. It’s my fault they died. If it wasn’t for me and my stupid birthday, they would still be alive… Shiori would be a high schooler now… If I would’ve told them we could just celebrate at home as usual...”   
“Bullshit.”   
“Huh?” Yukino was startled over Shoji’s harsh reaction.   
“That’s bullshit! You were turning ten, of course, they wanted to make it special. And what if they had gone to a different shop? What if they had left the house later? Or sooner? It could have happened on a different day too! It sure wasn’t you who caused it. Do you know exactly what happened?”   
“Th...The car slipped on the icy road… There was black ice because the temperatures went unusually low the night before...”   
“So did you magically let the temperatures drop to make the roads icy? Are you Elsa or something?”   
“N-No… But…”   
“Yukino, listen, it had absolutely nothing to do with you. Some accidents are coincidental, like your family’s, and some accidents happen because someone willfully caused them. When I was seven, a boy in school tripped me up and made me fall down the stairs. I broke my leg and it was  _ his  _ fault.  _ He intentionally  _ caused that accident to happen. There’s a huge difference, do you understand that?”   
Yuki nodded sniffling. Shoji’s reasoning made sense and to Yuki’s surprise, he felt better.    
“Thank you, Shoji-san.”   
“You’ve probably been tormenting yourself over this for years now because no one ever told you that it’s not your fault.”   
He nodded again. “My relatives did the opposite. They, too, always said it’s my fault. They said I should’ve died with them and that... I have no right to be alive while the rest of my family is dead because of me…”   
“Of course they said stuff like that. My god, they’re such a bunch of massive, ugly, hemorrhoid covered assholes!”   
“Ewww, Shoji…” His choice of words made Yuki giggle.    
“What?! They are!”   
“Yeah, I agree.”   
“I’m glad to see you smile again.”   
“Sorry. I’m causing you so much trouble once again,” Yuki muttered as he dried his tears. “And I’ve become such a whiny cry baby…”   
“Ah, shut up, you’re not causing me any trouble, and crying because you’re sad doesn’t make you anything other than a normal human being. Also, that’s what friends are for, right?” Shoji paused. It was weird for him to call Yukino a friend since he felt so much more for him.    
“A-Anyhow,” he tried to end the awkward silence. “What are we having for dinner today?”   
  
Everything continued as usual for the next two weeks. Yukino seemed less tense, even though he still was absent-minded from time to time, but Shoji thought it was normal for him to grieve around the time his whole family had passed away. He just tried to distract him as well as he could and to be there for him when he was plagued by nightmares of that day.   
On the Saturday of Yukino’s birthday, he slept in but was in a terrible mood. It had been a restless night and he just had this feeling of sadness lingering in his chest, like every year. He also felt guilty because Shoji had tried so hard to cheer him up all the time in the past two weeks, but Yuki couldn’t help it. He just hated his birthday.   
He grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom, but when he entered the living room, Shoji was already awake and it smelled like freshly cooked food.    
“Happy birthday, Yukino!” he shouted. “I made breakfast for you! Omurice, tea, and Miso soup. I learned how to make those,” he grinned.   
Yuki glanced at the lovingly set dining table, and Shoji had even bought a bouquet of flowers. He walked over and saw that he had written ‘Happy Birthday’ on his Omurice.   
“Wow… Thank you, Shoji-san. It looks great!”   
“I know, right?” He chuckled stupidly. “Come on, sit! Let’s eat…”   
Yukino did so. “Uwah, this tastes amazing! You made this?”   
“Hey… Don’t be mean. It’s Hikaru’s recipe. It was super easy… After he gave me very detailed instructions, heh.”   
“I’m happy. Thank you for putting so much effort into this.”   
“Wait till you see your present!”   
“Present…?”   
“It’s your birthday, of course, I have a present. Eat up, so I can give it to you!”   
The boy continued eating, but his heart was beating fast in excitement. After they were done, Shoji got up and went to his room, and came back with two boxes.   
“Here!” He handed them to Yukino.    
“Th-Thank you… You really didn’t have to…”    
“Yeah, yeah, but I wanted to. It’s a special day.”   
“What is it?”   
“You want me to tell you what’s in the box instead of unwrapping it yourself? Is that how you do it in Osaka? Or are you just being a weirdo again?”   
“I’m not a weirdo, you’re the weirdo here. But I admit that was a stupid question.” Yuki looked at the boxes; one of them was a box of chocolates, the other one was wrapped in dark blue paper.   
“They’re nougat. It’s your favorite, right?”    
Yuki nodded excitedly. “Let’s share them later, okay?”   
“Sure,” Shoji smiled.    
Yuki then started unwrapping the other box. When he saw what was inside, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “No way! Shoji, that’s a ZYOOM 4XC Digital Tablet! Are you crazy?!”   
“You like it? I saw you looking at some tablets the other day, so I researched a bit and this is the best one, apparently.”   
“L-Like it? It’s… It’s literally the best one out there!!”   
“I’ll take that as a yes. I didn’t know you were interested in digital art, I would’ve bought one already…”   
“Well, I thought that if I want to attend an art school one day, I should learn different techniques. It also gives me a wider range of possibilities in the future. And I found some amazing digital artists online, I got excited when I saw their drawings so I wanted to know how it works…”   
“And now you can start practicing,” he smiled at the gruntled Yukino.   
“Thank you so much! I’m so happy, Shoji-san!” Yuki was amazed by his own feelings. Just about an hour ago he felt horrible, but thanks to Shoji...   
“I’m really glad to hear that. It’s your birthday, you should be. Unfortunately, the tablet will have to wait for a while, you can delve into it later. I have another thing in store for you.”   
“Huh? What is it?”   
“Stop asking. Go and get dressed now, we’re going to leave soon.”   
Yuki did as he was told, rushed to the bathroom and afterwards the two of them left. He had no idea where Shoji was taking him until they arrived at their destination.    
“The aquarium?” Yukino asked as they stood in front of the building.    
“Have you been to one before?”   
“Never,” he gasped in excitement.   
“Well then, let’s go inside,” Shoji smiled, relieved that Yukino was obviously happy about his surprise.    
The boy had a blast and rushed around like a tornado, from one tank to the next. They spent most of the time watching the sea horses, which for some reason Yuki was very fascinated by.    
When they were standing in front of an enormous tank with a vast variety of fishes, sharks, and other sea creatures, Shoji thought the look on the boy’s face was priceless. As he looked at them in utter amazement, the reflection of the clear blue water was shimmering on his face and Shoji couldn’t stop himself from staring at him.    
“Shoji, look! Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”   
“Yeah… Absolutely…” he replied.    
Yukino turned to him and they silently looked at each other for a moment, before Shoji suddenly averted his eyes and cleared his throat.    
“W-We should leave now, it’s gotten pretty late.”   
“Aww, already?”   
“Yukino, we've been here for four hours now.”   
“Wha-... Really? Oh my, I didn’t even notice, it was so much fun. Thank you for taking me here, Shoji-san,” he smiled broadly.   
“Well, err… I’m glad you enjoyed it. But I have another surprise for you, so we really have to leave now.”   
“Huh? Another surprise? What- Oh sorry, I was about to ask again,” he giggled. “Okay, let’s go!”   
  
The two of them took a taxi and after a twenty-minute drive, they arrived at a restaurant.    
“Oh great, I’m starving! What a great surprise,” Yuki rejoiced as they entered.    
"Coming here wasn’t the surprise,” Shoji replied.   
An attendant greeted them and led them to their table, where Yukino’s actual surprise was waiting.   
“Happy birthday, Yuki!”   
“Happy birthday, Yukino.”   
“Hiki! Howl-san! What are you doing here? How do you know?” Yukino gasped, surprised, happy to see his friends.   
“You really think we would miss out on celebrating your birthday, dummy?” Hiki sparkled.    
“Thank you for coming…” Yukino replied, smiling.    
They all sat down at their table and when the waitress came, they ordered their food. Since it was an American style steakhouse, everyone ordered meat. Except for Yuki.    
“I’ll have the umm… The onion rings, large fries, and a small salad, please. Oh, and a small coke,” he said.   
The young woman wrote down his order and left.    
“Yukino, why didn’t you order a steak or the ribs?” Shoji asked, baffled. “Those are amazing here!”   
“Why would I order something that I wouldn’t eat?”   
“But why wouldn’t you? It’s a really good restaurant, you know...”   
“Don’t tell me… Shoji-san, you’re aware that I don’t eat meat, right? I only cook it for you, but never eat it myself… And I always order vegetarian stuff when we order in.”   
“What…?” Shoji tried to recall their mealtimes. Now that he thought about it, he actually had never seen Yukino eat meat.    
“You’re the most considerate and caring person I know, so for you to not notice something like this is quite amazing… I mean, you know what my favorite chocolates are, but not that I don’t eat meat,” Yuki giggled. “It’s funny, because we have most of our meals together…” he teased him.   
“Well, in my defense, your cooking is so great, I normally focus on my own plate and not on yours. I mean it’s your business anyway, but if I had known, I’d have chosen a different place to have your birthday dinner. Sorry about that.”   
“No, it’s fine! They have enough stuff I can eat, I won’t starve,” he smiled reassuringly.   
“I guess so,” Shoji replied, but he still seemed kind of blue.    
When their food came, the four of them dug in and they talked and laughed a lot. Yukino had a great time and raved about his food. They were actually the best onion rings he had ever had and Shoji seemed less down after he told him that.   
  
“Thank you so much for celebrating with us, I had a really great time,” he said when they said their goodbyes as Howl and Hiki dropped them off at their place. “And thank you so much for the bookstore voucher!” He bowed.   
“Our pleasure, Yuki-chan. If you like, we can go to the bookstore together next week. You wanted to get some BL manga, right?”   
Yukino blushed intensely. “Hmh… Y-Yeah…”   
“What’s BL?” Shoji asked.   
“N-Nothing! You wouldn’t understand... And you don’t like manga anyway, so you don’t need to know.”   
“Um… Okay?” Shoji looked at him with a confused expression.   
“Let’s go next week, Hiki. Just let me know when it’s most convenient for you.”   
“Will do. Oh, and I’ll send you the recipe we talked about later,” Hiki replied.    
“Okay, thanks and good night! Have a safe drive home!” Yukino waved as Hiki and Howl drove away in their car.   
Shoji and Yuki went upstairs to their apartment on the fourth floor.    
“Thank you so much, Shoji-san,” Yuki said as they took off their shoes. “I had sooo much fun, it was the best birthday I've had in forever.”   
“I’m very happy to hear that. It’s not over yet, though. Wait here for a second, okay?”   
“Hm? Um, okay…”    
Shoji peeked around the corner from the entrance hallway into the living room. “Ah great, it’s here! Listen,” he turned to Yuki. “I asked a friend of mine for a little favor. I bought something and he delivered it while we were out. I hope you like it. Come…” He gestured to the boy to walk over to the living room, and Yuki did so. Yukino immediately spotted a cupboard in a corner that was empty before and approached it.    
“What’s this?”   
“It’s for you, open it.”   
Yukino opened the wing doors of the plain-looking, dark brown furniture that was about as tall as him, and to his surprise, the inside was adorned with wooden panels, artfully carved in very detailed, floral patterns. On the back, and perfectly framed by the beautiful ornaments, there was a colorful hanging paper scroll with an image of Buddha.    
“A butsudan? You bought a shrine for me? Why?”   
“Because you weren’t able to be at your family’s funeral and wake, or at their graves. Despite not being able to go there back then, you can’t just go visit them now either since you live so far away now. So I thought it would be good for you to have a butsudan for your prayers. It’s custom made too, my friend’s father crafts them. I also got some incense, so we can burn it and send them some prayers today. It’s an important day in that regard as well; after all, we should honor them too, right?”    
Yuki wordlessly stared at the simple but beautiful shrine and, suddenly, tears started running down his cheeks. He turned to Shoji and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so, so much, Shoji-san…” he sobbed. Shoji hugged him back and caressed the back of his head until he stopped crying.    
“Shoji-san…”   
“Yes?”   
“I forgive you for being dense and not noticing that I don’t eat meat.”   
Shoji chuckled. “That’s very generous of you.”   
“I know. I’m a great guy.”   
“Jerk.”   
Yuki giggled. He loved when they teased each other, Shoji always knew how to lighten up Yukino’s mood.   
“But about that, you don’t have to go out of your way that much and cook meat for me if you don’t even like it. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, I’d rather abstain from eating it.”   
“If I wasn’t okay with it, I would’ve told you a while ago. But I don’t mind. I don’t want you to change your diet for me. It’s my personal choice, you have nothing to do with it.”   
“You really don’t mind?”   
“It’s not my favorite thing to do, but it’s not like it’s torturous. It’s fine if it’s for you,” he smiled.    
“Maybe you are a great guy after all,” Shoji smirked.    
“See, told you,” Yukino replied cheekily.    
“Nope, you’re still a jerk.”    
“Rude! I’m so kind as to go that far out of my way and you’re so mean to me,” the boy whined playfully.   
“Ah, shut up. Come on, let’s get to it.”   
“Yessir!”   
They then took the picture of Yukino’s family and placed it in the butsudan, lit some incense and started praying.    
  
It meant the world  to Yukino that Shoji not only turned the day he hated so much for so many years into something good, but that he also thought of his family. Shoji didn’t just try to wipe out all the bad things, he helped Yukino accept them and heal his wounds instead of pretending they weren’t there.    
Yuki realized that what he felt for that man couldn’t be mere friendship. It was love. **  
  
**


	8. THEIR APARTMENT

Hey there!  
I thought I'd show you what Shoji's and Yuki's apartment looks like :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
This is how they live: 

The entrance has a traditional genkan. The area where you take off your shoes. Next to it, there's a build-in closet for coats etc.   
  
They have an open kitchen and a nice dining table.  
  
The living room is spacious, but not too big.  
  
They have a laundry room with a washer and dryer and some laundry racks just in case ^^  
  
The bathroom consists of three rooms. The entrance area where you take off your clothes, the toilet and the actual bathroom with shower and bathtub. Plus two chairs so they can sit down while scrubbing each others backs hehe.  
  
Shoji's room has a big desk of course since he works a lot from home. His bed is also quite big and very comfy. He has a build-in closet and a bench he bought but never sits on.   
  
Yukino's room is quite small, but enough for him. He has his big desk where he can draw at, his drawing utensils all neatly organized in the drawers. He also has a build-in closet and the balcony right next to his room. He loves to sit there and have coffee breaks. Sometimes Shoji joins him. 


End file.
